Story of the Stars
by Zero Unit RGB
Summary: The Pride Lands are safe once again but that may not be so true in other places. Danger has always found a way to seep into Simba's life but now the danger is in the Western Kingdom, Kopa's previous home. Now they're on their way to take back the kingdom but this leaves Kovu to watch over the pride by himself. Sequel to Tale of Two Kings. Check out Book of Black Pride
1. Prologue: Pack and Pride

**Merry Christmas Eve! I'm going to guess that a lot of you are on Christmas break so I hope you enjoy this as your Christmas gift. I know there are a lot of you that have been patiently anticipating for the arrival of the newest chapter of the Lion King saga, well here it is! The Pride Lands are once again at peace but that does not mean other lands are. Kopa as the new and old prince will have to face one of his most difficult challenges, facing his father's old foes. And what about our lovable Pumbaa, where does he fit into this picture and why has he been acting so strange? Will Timon admit his love to Tamina or will some other meerkat snatch her away. And what will Kovu do when he's left in charge of the great kingdom? All this will be revealed in Story of the Stars. Now, I've kept you all waiting long enough, here's how it all began.**

-X-

_The lands were almost completely bare. There were bones of various animals everywhere and numerous hyenas roaming these dead lands. If you're having trouble picturing it, just imagine it as a combination of the Outlands and Elephant Graveyard. However, even with these awful living conditions, everyone seemed pretty happy. _

_The matriarch watched as the hunting party came back from the hunt with fresh kill. It was being led by stupid looking hyena who met up with the matriarch. He cackled and somehow she understood him. She nodded to him in response and walked into the den._

"_Sauda, our lunch is here, why don't you come out and join us?" asked the elderly matriarch. Her fur was graying and she was already very old._

"_I'll be out in a sec mother. I'm just looking after little Jambo here" said a young female hyena. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was the matriarch's daughter._

_The matriarch smiled lovingly as she watched a hyena pup who was most likely only a couple of days old tumble around. It was hard to believe how much time had gone by. Years ago she was bent on living in the luxurious Pride Lands, but now here she was living peacefully with her daughter, her grandson, and the rest of her family._

"_Alright Jambo, it's time to go eat lunch" called the matriarch._

"_Oh yay!" giggled the little pup. He hopped towards his grandmother and leaped into her arms._

"_Oof! You're getting heavier aren't you little guy?" the matriarch chuckled._

"_Mama says that's good, it means I'll grow up big and strong!" smiled Jambo._

"_That's right my little pup, someday you might even lead the hunting party" said Sauda._

_The pup gasped with glee as he looked up expectantly at his grandmother. "Oh, I can't promise you that" his grandmother chuckled. "But maybe your mother can, chances are, she'll be the matriarch of this pack very soon and she can promise you the role of lead hunter."_

"_Really, can you really do that mom?" asked the pup, turning his attention to his mother._

_Before she could respond however, another voice interrupted them. It was a male hyena and like the matriarch, he had graying fur, a sign that he was around the same age as her. "Shenzi, you there?" called the old hyena._

"_Father, is something wrong?" asked Sauda._

"_No, nothing dear, I just have a message to pass to your mother" the hyena stated._

"_A message, what message?" inquired the matriarch._

"_A lion came…He says he wants to speak to you" replied the hyena._

"_A lion, huh, I already told that king bordering our land that we wouldn't disturb him, he doesn't need to send a messenger to insure that" said the matriarch. "Go back to that lion and tell him to be on his way. His services are not required."_

"_He says that he isn't from any of the neighboring lands. He says he has some sort of business that concerns you, that concerns the entire pack as he put it" said the hyena._

_The matriarch shrugged and decided to go meet with this mysterious lion. She walked back to the entrance of the den with her mate, her daughter, and her grandson following close behind her. When they reached the entrance, they saw a lion with lime green eyes and a dark brown mane._

"_Who are you and what business do you have with my pack?" asked the matriarch with a demanding tone. She had full confidence and a very commanding stare even though she dwarfed in size in comparison to this behemoth of a lion._

"_Hm…You are as threatening as they say" commented the lion. "And very lively for your age."_

_Jambo hid behind the legs of his mother. It was his first time ever seeing a lion up close but he's heard stories of lions fighting against his grandparents and he was afraid this was one of those lions that hated hyenas. Then again, almost every lion hated their kind._

"_Just tell me your reason for being here" said the matriarch coolly._

"_I have some valuable information for you. I have heard many stories of your struggles to reach such a high position in a hyena pack. Shenzi of the Pride Lands, am I correct? And your mate, Banzai, you two were both involved in the coup devised by Scar" said the lion._

"_All of that is in the past. They mean nothing to us now. Now tell me who you are and your reason for being here or suffer the consequences for trespassing on our territory" said Shenzi as she released a low growl._

_The lion was silent but he wasn't afraid of her. He just stared back at her indifferently. Finally, after what felt like a century, he cleared his throat. "You may be living peacefully with the lions now but I know you hold a personal grudge against them. You've been searching for a good reason to destroy their pride and now I have one" said the lion._

"_You still haven't told me of your identity" snarled Shenzi. "If you cannot even divulge to me that, then we are done here."_

"_My name is Hasani…And I am here on a quest for unity" smiled the lion._

-X-

_Months later…_

The sun was just beginning to rise and all the animals heard a roar that told them to head in one specific direction. It was a very special day, a very special day indeed for the Pride Lands. Many of the animals followed the wind that was believed to be the spirit of King Mufasa.

Soon enough they had reached the kopje that was known as Pride Rock. All the animals gathered near the bottom and watched as a mandrill stood at the top calling them together. Soon he stopped with his hand movements and turned to something unseen to the below animals' eyes.

Rafiki smiled as he walked over to Kovu and Kiara who were sitting side by side. In the latter's arms were two little bundles of fur. They both giggled and attempted to touch the odd face of the elderly mandrill. Kovu and Kiara both smiled down at their greatest gifts given to them by the heavens.

The male, the firstborn was named Kito, he was prince Kito. The female was obviously the second and her name was Kioni, she was princess Kioni. Nearby, the current king and queen, Simba and Nala stood along with the aunt and uncle of these two bundles of joy, Kopa and Vitani.

"They are truly beautiful" said Rafiki. He rattled his staff with the strange fruits on them near their adorable faces. They both reached out trying to paw at them. He broke open one of the fruits and took the juice form it with his hand. He rubbed onto the older one's forehead and sprayed him with the 'sacred dirt'. This was his mark of the future ruler fo the Pride Lands. He then lifted him from Kiara's care.

The royal family watched as he walked all the way to the tip of Pride Rock and lifted up prince Kito high into the air, the new heir to the throne. The audience exploded with the loudest noise they could make. Whether it was roar, trumpet, or the beating of hooves upon the ground, it was just a chorus of unity among the animals.

Kito wasn't completely sure of what was going on but he smiled and giggled anyway. Up high in the sky, both his great grandfather, Mufasa, and great uncle, Taka smiled down at the sight. Finally, Rafiki brought him back to his own arms where his father met him with an affectionate nuzzle while Kiara held her daughter by the scruff of her neck.

The newborns were crowded by the royal family as they did some family bonding. A little ways away stood the other species of animals, in other words, a warthog and two meerkats of opposing genders on top of his head.

"Oh brother, not this again" groaned Timon.

"Odd, I thought you'd be happy for them" commented Tamina.

"I am, it's just that when there are cubs there are cub sitters. That means _us_! And I don't want to go through sleepless nights or a cub vanishing every few seconds" said Timon.

"Hey, was I that bad?" asked both Simba and Kiara at the same time.

"But totally worth it!" covered up Timon. And then he turned back to Tamina to continue his paranoid ranting. "And this time there are two of them! That's double the work! Do you know what that means?" exclaimed Timon in a the most insane manner.

"Uh…Double the stress?" said Tamina unsurely although she was pretty sure that she was right.

"Double the stress!" echoed Timon only louder.

"Hey, calm down, soon it'll be triple the stress" Kopa chuckled.

"Yup, I'm due in about a month" smiled his mate.

"I'm going to die aren't I?" groaned the male meerkat.

"Aw come on Timon, it'll be just fine as long as we go through it together" assured Pumbaa.

"Pumbaa's right, it's supposed to be a happy moment right now, so don't think about the bad, think about the good" added Nala.

"Guess you're right…Alright, I have the perfect party set up in my mind. If we get started now then I think we'll be able to get all the preparations set by midnight. By then the cubs should be asleep thus giving us a chance to celebrate this truly momentous occasion. Quickly, let's go dig up some grubs!" said Timon enthusiastically.

This caused everyone start laughing at Timon's sudden idea.

"Wow, you bounce back fast" commented Kovu.

"What can I say? I love parties" smiled Timon.

"Then how about a feast because I don't think the party you're thinking of is appropriate for the celebration of cubs" said Simba.

"I'm good with that, as long as we insectivores eat somewhere far from you carnivores" said Timon.

"Of course" laughed Simba.

"It's hard to believe everything's that's happened to us these past couple months" Vitani commented.

"And all of these things will only get better for all of us as well" smiled Kopa."These two are proof of that"

They all returned their attention to the cubs who were now trying to bat a butterfly. They all smiled down at them and knew that Kopa was right. Things in the Pride Lands are going to be peaceful for a long time.

-X-

**In case you didn't know, this was set as a preview in my last story, Tale of Two Kings. So what did you guys think? Was it a good start to this story? Or was it bad one? I'd really appreciate some feedback. P.S. I know this is short but I can promise you that the actual chapters will be longer.**


	2. Leonine Prophecy

**Welcome to the newest addition to Story of the Stars. As the title implies, this story will be exploring a more spiritual side of the Lion King world. We will be diving into the mind of our favorite shaman, Rafiki. That's right; this chapter is solely focused on him and maybe a few others, but mostly him. At the request of one of my reviewers, I've added descriptions to the cubs' appearances; it's in the second paragraph. Also, to Littletiger, I would love to work for Disney, the problem is, I'm only fifteen so I've still got a couple years before I start a big work like that. Hope you guys like it and don't forget to leave a review to bring me more inspiration and of course more of a motive to keep going.**

-X-

Rafiki chuckled a little bit maniacally as he made the finishing touches to his mural. There were two versions of this mural, the original which was a personal request from King Mufasa and now this new one. He smiled at the two kings that stood at the very tip of Pride Rock.

He then looked at his regular works of art. The newest additions to the tree were prince Kito and princess Kioni. The prince looked just like Simba when he was a cub but he had inherited his father's green eyes as well as his black mane. The princess on the other paw had a darker pelt but she had inherited her grandmother's blue eyes. Besides the fur, she looked just like her mother.

"They will be truly happy when they see I've completed it" Rafiki said to himself. He was about to pack up his paint supplies when a gentle wind blew past him. "Mufasa? No, master Hondari, is that you?" inquired the old shaman.

Another wind confirmed that the baboon was correct. Afterwards, the wind began leading its former student to the top of the tree where the night was cool and clear. Rafiki stared up at the sky and noticed something new. He quickly ran down and picked up his paint supplies and a blank stone tablet.

He came back and stared at the stars for a long time. He dipped a finger into the fruit bowl and began writing in some strange language very similar to the inscriptions written on a pile of stone tablets in his dwelling. Soon he had finished whatever he was doing and he appeared to be very proud of his accomplishment.

"I see…" smiled the mandrill. "Now that Kopa has returned, the missing part has finally revealed itself."

He cleared his throat and began to recite from the stone tablet. "One day two kings will rule together and their reign will become known as the greatest era of the Pride Lands. Both will suffer difficult lives at a young age, faced with confusion and the belief that their enemy was the king. But with love they will soon be revealed to light and they will side with the king to protect the kingdom. This is why they will both be governed by the shaman of love, this shaman will not have very long to live which is why there are two kings set for him immediately…That explains so much."

Rafiki smiled and leaped back to his previous spot. He placed the stone tablet among the others, in other words, the rest of the leonine prophecy. He looked once more at the stars and waved at the constellation of a smiling lion. With that the old mandrill tiredly bid the world good night.

-X-

The grass rustled as the creature crawled closer and closer to his destination. He would've fully made it there without anyone noticing if he wasn't trying to sneak past a monkey that's lived a long life and knew how to appear from place to place.

A stick came down and whacked the poor creature on the head, causing him to yelp and stick his head out of the tall grass. "Why do you have to do that all the time?" whined Pumbaa as he brought his hooves up to rub the small bump that was forming on his head.

"So you know that I can see and hear you. The pain helps you learn" said Rafiki.

"The pain is making me grow another head" moaned Pumbaa. "Um…Rafiki…Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything and I might have an answer to it or I might give you a riddle for you to solve on your own."

"A yes or no would've sufficed. Anyway, I know what you told me that I am the 'shaman of love' but I just don't see it. How can you be so sure that I'm him? I don't really have much life left in me so I don't know if I will even be alive during Kovu and Kopa's rule."

"You may not see it but I do. There is a spark in your eyes and you have plenty of more time left in this world. You are compassionate and gentle; you have a love for all including your own predators. Since both kings will rule together and each shaman is to govern two great kings, it makes sense why you would become a shaman for two kings at the same time. Like you said, you don't have the longest time here."

"I don't know…I did some research and Hondari's name meant bravery and he was the shaman of courage. Your name means friend and you're the shaman of friendship. But my name…It means stupid...Shouldn't it mean love if I was really the next shaman?"

"Ah I see your concern but Pumbaa is not your real name now, is it? You said it yourself that it was only the name given to you by the hyenas that thought of you as food. Now I want you to close your eyes and picture nothing."

Pumbaa did as he was instructed and closed his eyes. Rafiki walked over to the warthog's ear and whispered a single word…'Upendi'.

"_Upendi, Upendi, where are you darling?" called a female warthog._

_Suddenly, a little piglet with a striking resemblance to Pumbaa burst out from his hiding spot and into the female warthog's arms. He was crying as he rubbed his head against her leg. "Mama…Mama the other piglets were being mean to me again!" sobbed the piglet._

"_Oh, dear, I should really speak to their mothers…Now don't cry honey bunches, now tell me, why were they being mean to you this time?" asked his mother._

"_They were making fun of my name. They said that it was a girl's name!" cried Upendi._

"_Nonsense, those boys just don't realize the true meaning of your name" said his mother._

"_It means love,_ I_ know that, _they_ know that, but they say that love is a girly thing, that's why it's a girly name" whimpered Upendi._

"_Oh Upendi…Love is not a girly thing, your father and I named you that because you are a symbol of our love. And they don't realize how love plays a large role in this world." _

"_What does love play?"_

"_It helps create beautiful piglets such as yourself. And every other creature in this world, with just a little love, a cub, piglet, kit, pup, they are all born through love. It is because of love that the 'Circle of Life' exists…Therefore, your existence is very important."_

"_Wow…I never knew love was so important." _

"…_Now why don't we help your father search for some more grubs?"_

"_Okay mama, oh mama? How does love make babies exactly?"_

"_Erm…That's a speech for another day."_

A year later…

"_Mama? Papa? Where are you guys?" asked an older version of Upendi when he entered the empty den. A chilly breeze blew into the den and he shivered. He walked in circles for a little while before seating himself into a comfortable nest but it didn't feel like home without his parents._

_He wanted to stay awake in case his mother or father came home but he couldn't keep his eyes open for very long. Soon enough he had fallen asleep and inside his mind he experienced a horrifying dream. It was replaying the events that had occurred earlier in the day when the entire herd of warthogs were attacked by a huge pack of hyenas._

_When the little warthog woke up, he found himself completely alone. It was morning already but something was off. He looked around the empty den. "Where am I? Who am I?" whispered the warthog to himself._

_He suddenly felt afraid and he ran out of the den and into the open. "Hello? Is anybody out there? I need help! I don't know where or who I am!" yelled the warthog. He started crying when no one answered back. "Please…I don't want to be alone..."_

_Suddenly, he heard a very loud cackle from somewhere. His head jerked upright but he instead of feeling relief, only fear washed over him. "H-Hello? Who's there?" said Pumbaa in a quiet and fearful voice._

"_Well, well, well, looks like you were right. There really was one more of them here" a sinister looking hyena chuckled as he crawled out of his hiding spot._

"_I told you. Sheesh, we live in a matriarchate society and yet you still doubt me" scoffed a female hyena._

_Other hyenas began to crawl out as well, each with their own unique shade of evil aura around them. They all smiled hungrily as they spied their newest victim._

"_He still looks young, that's good, I simply love tender meat" said the first hyena._

"_Better save some for the rest of us or else you'll be the pig instead of this guy" said the female hyena._

_Upendi began to tremble on the spot. He knew there was no escape so he remained in that one place, waiting for the end to come. The three hyenas in the front lunged at him and for about a second there was a space underneath them. Without thinking twice, the warthog dashed right out from under them. He kept running further and further, putting as much distance as possible between them and him._

_His breathing faltered but he kept running, only acting upon pure instinct. He was fueled by fear and adrenaline. He could hear the hyenas giving chase but he was somehow outrunning them. He heard the hyenas shouting at each other, calling one another 'Pumbaa'._

_He stopped and hid behind a stone pillar. He collapsed on to the ground and attempted to slow down his labored breathing. He thought about for a little while and realized that he really knew nothing about himself. "Pumbaa…" he whispered to himself. "It's better than nothing…"_

_Little did he know that avoiding these hungry hyenas would lead them to a meerkat colony. This colony lost the bravest of meerkats to these deadly predators. If the warthog had known that his actions led to the death of his best friend's father, then he would've thought the name Pumbaa suited him. Careless…No other word would fit him better._

"They weren't calling me Pumbaa…They were calling each other that because they lost me…And my name…It meant love" said Pumbaa quietly, tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks and forming a small puddle. "Mama...Papa..."

"So do you now believe that you are the shaman of love?" asked Rafiki.

"No…If anything this proves even more that I'm not the shaman of love" whispered Pumbaa.

"What?" said Rafiki, genuinely surprised and confused.

"You said that the shaman of love is incapable of hate, but if that's the case then I'm not him. I hate those hyenas that took my family from me…I hate them for every bad thing that has happened to me" expressed Pumbaa.

"I see…I guess I understand but will you still come to my teachings? I have a much shorter period of time here than you do so if my time here does set then I want you to take my place" said Rafiki. "Don't worry if you think I won't have the time to teach you everything, you already know almost everything about medicine."

Whenever someone got injured, whether it was lion, meerkat, warthog, rhino, elephant, zebra, or some other animal, Pumbaa would always help out to tend their wounds. He never wanted to see an animal in pain so he tries to relieve that pain. Therefore, he has been learning everything about medicine from Rafiki or watching him perform some medicinal work on a wounded animal.

"I can't promise you that I will be good shaman but I will do my best" said Pumbaa.

"I do not worry about the future; I only worry about the present. Now, if you are going to take my place then there are a few things you must know. First and foremost is the leonine prophecy" said Rafiki as he led Pumbaa into the tree.

"You mean that thing that foretells the Great Kings and their governing shamans?" remarked Pumbaa.

"Yes, just last night I discovered Kopa and Kovu's legacy so now I can recite the entire prophecy to you" said Rafiki. He picked up the stone tablets one by one and spread them out in order on the floor.

"Wait…I thought you said that all the rest after Simba's reign was missing" commented Pumbaa.

"No, I said that the next part is missing, I didn't necessarily mean that all the rest was missing. I cannot tell a king or future king of the leonine prophecy for it may change it. It foretells future kings so it would not be good for someone to know of the future for it might change" said Rafiki.

"Like Kito, you can't tell Kovu or Kiara how Kito may turn out right?" concluded Pumbaa. Rafiki nodded in response to show that he was correct. "But wait, what are these strange symbols, I've never seen them before" Pumbaa remarked.

"This is the universal language of shamans, it is only a written language that we have been taught to learn. I will be teaching you how to read this."

"Are you serious?! I don't get any of it, how can I learn it?"

"It's much easier than you think."

Pumbaa just stared blankly at the writing as his face scrunched up in concentration. Hi face kept scrunching up into a tighter ball until his eyes, mouth, and nose were sucked into his face. They simultaneously popped right back out and his expression came out to be one of disappointment. "Nope, makes zero sense to me."

When no response reached his ears, he turned to Rafiki and noticed how hard the old mandrill was staring at one of the tablets. Pumbaa counted each of the tablets and concluded that it was the tablet that foretold Kito's legacy.

"Rafiki, is something wrong?" asked Pumbaa, effectively snapping Rafiki out of his fixed trance.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, it's just…This tablet does not seem to foretell Kito as the king. It seems like someone else will be king instead of him" explained Rafiki.

"Someone else? But how can that be? Kito is the rightful heir…He doesn't die does he?" said Pumbaa worriedly.

"I don't know…If he does then I'm worried of the affect it might have on Kovu and Kiara. We've seen what the loss of one's offspring can do to the parents" said Rafiki.

Pumbaa nodded in agreement. His mind wandered back to the memories of the days after Kopa had been presumably killed by Zira. He remembered how Simba was never the same, how he took being a king very seriously and began ignoring those around him, including Nala. As for Nala, there was never one a day she didn't visit the cliff where Kopa had fallen from, she would always lay there and weep.

"What does the tablet say? I mean, how can you be so sure it doesn't speak of Kito?" asked Pumbaa.

"Pumbaa…Just the first two sentences tells me it isn't Kito" said Rafiki.

"Well, what are those two sentences?" questioned the warthog.

"This king will be known as the strongest in history. However, his history is filled with the betrayal of his own pride" recited Rafiki.

The two of them stood there silently as Pumbaa contemplated what Rafiki had said. "But…Betrayal of his pride, that can't be possible. It doesn't even make any sense!" exclaimed Pumbaa.

"I know…This is why we must presume that the future king is from an outside pride. We must also assume that Kito is going to die and that this new king is either Kioni's mate or Kopa and Vitani's cub" said Rafiki.

"I…I have to tell them about Kito!" resolved Pumbaa.

"No! You cannot…I understand how you feel and it pains me to have to keep this from my friends. This is where I am conflicted for I am the shaman of friendship and surely friends don't keep secrets from each other and yet, there are so many I hide. When you become shaman, there will be many sacrifices to be made" said Rafiki sadly.

Pumbaa stared back silently. He knew what it was like to hide things from your friends and keeping secrets. Even if they weren't that big and didn't affect those around him, it still felt horrible to lie and hide.

"I won't tell them…" said Pumbaa reluctantly. It was happening again, there was no guarantee he would be able to keep this from Kovu and Kiara, after all, he knew what it was like to watch a cub vanish before his eyes, he didn't have the heart to watch a repeat.

"That's good…" sighed Rafiki. "Now why don't we get started and I can teach you how to decipher these inscriptions."

Pumbaa knew that he should've been listening to what Rafiki was telling him but it felt too difficult to actually concentrate on his master's words. Images of a young cub falling to his doom kept entering his mind and he couldn't shake them off. Fear of the future, which was one thing that would always keep Pumbaa up at night.

-X-

**This was the official first chapter. The further into this story I go the longer the chapters will be, I think. I tried to extend this as much as I could because I wanted this entire chapter to start with these two. Don't worry, the lions will make their appearances in the next chapter, did you guys really think I would leave them out? Don't forget to review and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! (Consider a review as a Christmas gift to me) See you next time! **


	3. Banzai The Hyena

**I know this new chapter has been posted earlier than most expectations but I've had it completed for a while now so…You know. I don't get why when stories are completed, people don't review except in the most recent or even the last chapter. I wish people would send in more feedback just to send their thanks to the writer. It would really make them feel grateful. Anyway, it's almost New Years' Eve! As my New Years' resolution I want to post chapters even faster than the last one but still at a moderate pace. So without further ado, here's the newest chapter!**

-X-

_Tamina lay in her hammock without a care in the world. Just then, a rather large shadow covered the sun from her._

"_You're blocking my light" she remarked with an edge of irritation to her voice._

"_Sorry Tammy, but this is urgent. You've got to get up and see for yourself" said the adolescent Kopa. _

_His tone suggested that he was not kidding so Tamina opened her eyes and sat up. "What's wrong? Couldn't find a meal and now you're expecting me to go catch something for you?" questioned Tamina in jest._

"_I'm serious. I don't have something to eat because the herds are leaving" said Kopa._

"_That's ridiculous, why would the herds leave?" asked Tamina._

"_I asked one of the departing antelopes and she told me to go over there to find out" replied Kopa as he pointed behind Tamina._

"_Then let's go check it out" resolved the meerkat._

_She leaped on to Kopa's back and they began their short trek over the hill. Soon enough, when they had reached a cliff, they found a horrifying scene. There were bones littered everywhere and possibly hundreds of hyenas. The plant life in the hyena vicinity was dying and the stench of blood was intensely strong._

"_I don't believe this" whispered Kopa. "I've never see so many of the same animal in one place."_

"_Agreed, the hyena army I faced a few years back was probably only a third of this amount. Maybe even less than that" breathed Tamina in disbelief._

"_But I don't understand, it's the wet season and it's already rained a few times, so why is the grass dying?" asked Kopa._

"_There are natural trenches around here so the rain slides down into there before the ground can absorb it" observed Tamina. "And these hyenas eat every part of their prey so that there won't be anything left to be decomposed."_

"_And the herds are leaving because all the grass is dying?" asked the lion._

"_No, I think the hyenas are overhunting. It's a rather common tendency for these animals, they can't help it. I know I shouldn't blame them but it's just horrible how they drive out others with this natural instinct" replied the meerkat. "Let's go a little further in."_

_Before Kopa could take another step into unknown territory, a voice called out to them. "Halt! Who goes there and what business do you have with my pack?" inquired a rather old male hyena as he came from behind them and casually strolled to their front._

"_Your pack is destroying these lands! I'm just here to do justice and roll some of your heads!" yelled Tamina._

"_What she means to say is that…No that's what she means to say" Kopa sighed._

_It was clear that this was an insufficient answer for this gray furred hyena judging from his expression. "Okay…Now that I know why you're here, why don't you tell me your names?" said the hyena in an exasperated tone._

"_Name's Tamina but you can just call me girl of your nightmares" said Tamina._

"_And I'm-." started Kopa but was interrupted by his stomach growling loudly. He blushed in embarrassment underneath his fur; Tamina smacked her forehead and shook her head sadly, while the hyena just stared at him, surprised by the noise. _

"_Sorry, I'm a little hungry because the herds are leaving and I'm not the best hunter" Kopa chuckled nervously._

_The hyena rolled his eyes and sighed. "Wait here" he instructed, he ran down to where the rest of his pack was. In a couple of minutes he came back with a juicy wildebeest leg. He placed it down in front of Kopa._

_The two non-hyenas were shocked by this gesture and they both kept looking from the leg to the hyena, back and forth. It was highly unusual for hyenas to do something like this, especially for a lion, their unofficial mortal enemy._

"_Well are you just going to stare at it or eat it? I'm technically betraying my own pack by doing this you know" said the hyena._

"_Oh sorry, it's just; we've never met a hyena that would do this for strangers" explained Kopa as he bent down and began eating the wildebeest leg._

"_Well then call me a freak of nature" laughed the hyena. "I used to have this lion friend. He was kind to all but then this demented lioness began to fill his heart and soul with evil. In the end, my friends and I killed him. Ever since then I've held regret."_

"_That sucks but that still doesn't explain why you're being nice to us" scoffed Tamina._

"…_I wanted his true legacy to live on so I vowed to become like him. To be kind and not the evil hyena I once was" the hyena smiled softly._

"_What about the herds then? They're all running away from you guys" said Kopa._

"_Well we've got to eat. And it's a natural instinct for us to overhunt but the herds will come back. We'll be leaving soon anyway" the hyena sighed._

"_How can you even live here with those kind of conditions?" asked Tamina._

"_Many of us are used to it. Besides we have this system worked out. You see, we have two plots of land; we live in one of those lands for a couple years until they die. Then we go to our second plot of land. While we live there, the first land is revitalized so that it's ready for us the next time we go there" explained the hyena._

"_I get it, this way no matter how many times the lands die; you will have a back-up plan" concluded Kopa._

"_Exactly, we also have hyenas stationed in our other land just to make sure it's safe from others that want to rule that land" said the hyena._

"_I see you guys are smarter than other hyenas as well" commented Tamina._

"_Be nice" chided Kopa._

_Just then, a shy and timid voice reached their ears. "D-Daddy, what are you doing with a lion?" asked a scared adolescent hyena who was hiding behind a dying tree._

"_Sauda, it's okay, this lion is friendly" assured her father._

"_But those stories you told me. How they're treacherous, deadly, and untrustworthy, so why are you contradicting yourself?" said Sauda shakily._

"_Those are your mother's stories not mine. Just come here and I'll show you" instructed her father gently. She complied and timidly came up next to him. She stared at Kopa with timid green eyes._

"_Don't be scared, I won't hurt you" said Kopa giving her a reassuring smile._

"_I'm sorry, my mother just always told me not to trust lions. That she made that mistake once" said Sauda shyly._

"_She's a little paranoid about lions" explained the older hyena._

"_Wait, she's your daughter? But she's so young and you're so…" started Tamina but was unable to finish her statement._

"_Old?" finished the hyena with an amused expression. "Don't be afraid to say it, I know I'm old."_

"_If your mate is paranoid about lions then how do you do negotiations with them? You must make deals with them considering how you border many prides" pointed out Tamina._

"_Simple, I'm the negotiator. My mate tells everyone else in our pack to stay away from lions though" said the hyena._

"_Wait, if your mate tells the whole pack what to do, then does that mean she's the matriarch?" asked Kopa._

"_Yup" the hyena chuckled._

"_Wow…Looks like we need to go, we're travelers and right now we should be returning to my homeland, it's not too far from here" said Tamina._

"_Yeah, thanks for the food and we're sorry for trespassing on your lands" bowed Kopa._

"_No problem" smiled the hyena._

"_Maybe we'll meet again someday" said Kopa. He turned around and was about leave when the hyena called out to him._

"_I still don't know your name. I'm Banzai by the way" said the hyena._

"_Oh that's right, I'm Simba" called back Kopa._

_With that the two non-hyenas were gone. What they didn't know was how Banzai reacted to this revelation. _

"_Simba…" he whispered to the warm and still air._

"_Isn't that the name of the king who banished you, mother, and uncle Ed from the Pride Lands?" inquired Sauda._

_Banzai nodded in response. "You know, now that I think about it, he kind of looks like him too." _

_Sauda gasped and looked up at her father. "You don't think it _was_ him do you?" she asked._

_Banzai couldn't help laughing at the thought. "Don't be ridiculous, the king thatbanished us long ago will be a full-fledged adult lion by now. But I think I have an idea of that adolescent was though."_

"_Who?" she asked._

"_The great nephew of an old friend."_

-X-

Kopa slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that it was still night outside. He shook his head to make clear sense of the old memory that had resurfaced as a dream. He found it odd to be thinking of that day but decided not to dwell on it.

He looked over to the body of his mate who was sleeping peacefully next to him. He knelt down and kissed her pregnant belly. He brushed her bangs away from her eyes and couldn't help smiling. Even if she thought she wasn't beautiful, he knew she was.

'_My beautiful 'Tani' _he thought.

-X-

Banzai woke with a start. He looked around the den and noticed at least half of the pack that slept there was missing. He looked over at his daughter and his grandson when he saw that his mate was among the missing.

Banzai yawned and decided to take a walk. When he left the den he saw the ocean in front of him. He had forgotten that they had taken another land only a few months ago and that he was sleeping in the lion's den.

Suddenly the sound of barking caught his attention and he saw, down on the coastline, a lion that had countless injuries with a cage made of bones in his teeth was running away from a massive pack of hyenas. They were the missing hyenas from Banzai's pack that were supposed to be sleeping in the den.

Banzai was about run down and put a stop to the chase when he saw Shenzi standing on another cliffside. "Don't let him or that mangy bird escape!" she ordered.

That's when Banzai realized who they were. The lion was the prince of these lands and the bird was inside the cage. Chances were it was the majordomo to the former king of these lands.

Banzai saw the prince take off into the dense jungle that bordered the beach. The pack followed him in there. Banzai took off as well, down the steps from his cliff and stealthily gave chase to the lion and the rest of his pack.

The lion was breathing heavily and the faster he ran, the more blood he lost. With every step he took a new shot of pain went through the leg he placed weight on. Everything hurt but he felt he had no choice but to keep running.

"Please, prince, if you keep this up then you will be killed! Go back and surrender yourself, you might be spared" pleaded the bird inside of the cage.

"No! A prince won't live under their rule. And a lion won't obey a hyena. I don't care what happens to me but I want my father and the rest of this kingdom safe. I need you to send for help" grunted the prince through deep breaths.

He noticed his vision turning hazy and didn't notice a log in front of him. He jumped at the last second but his hind legs dragged against the surface and he fell to the ground face first. The cage flew out of his mouth and onto the ground in front of him.

The prince struggled to stand back up and felt the world spinning around him. He fell back down in a heap of blood and heavy breaths. "I'm sorry father, I've failed you" he whispered to no one in particular.

A dark figure leaped through the bushes to his right. The figure stepped into the moonlight so that his identity would be revealed. The lion snarled at the hyena but he recognized this particular hyena to be the lion negotiator.

"You lied to us!" the prince snarled. "You fed us your lies that you would live peacefully and then you attack us!"

"I know and I'm sorry. Let me help you" insisted Banzai.

"Don't come near me!" growled the prince but then grunted in pain.

Banzai flinched back at the ferocity in the weak lion's voice. But then he took a few more steps closer. "I led the pack off your trail. It's pretty easy to outsmart the others when your blood is everywhere but it won't be long before they catch onto that bird's scent. So let me help" persisted Banzai.

The prince laid there as if he was thinking about his options. His thoughts were cut short by the sound of barking coming closer to them. There was no time to think about his decision now. "You want to help, free the majordomo. Tell her to go the Pride Lands to get help" instructed the prince. "Go!"

Banzai complied without hesitation and took the cage in his own mouth and ran off. However, considering his age and the energy he spent when he was running earlier, there was no way he would be able ot get very far so he hid behind the cover of a few trees.

The hyena pack broke into the clearing and surrounded the lion prince. Each one of them had the predator's glint in their eyes and they were all grinning in pure delight at the thought of tearing the prince apart limb from limb.

"Any last words princey?" asked one of the hyenas in a mocking tone.

"Bite me!" snapped the prince.

"Gladly" the hyena grinned.

"Wait, where'd that bird or major-dodo go?" inquired another hyena.

"I don't care, we've got the prince" smiled the first hyena.

All of the hyenas lunged at the defenseless lion. They began to claw and bite him. The lion growled and roared in pain with each attack. Banzai watched the scene in horror; it brought back the suppressed memories of Scar's death. Banzai squeezed his eyes shut to try and drown out the cries of pain. It was unsuccessful because it sounded endless. He knew why, they were torturing him so that he would know true pain before he was gone.

Banzai reopened his eyes and looked down at the bird in the cage. His eyes reflected determination as he opened the cage. He pulled the majordomo out who was trembling. It was clear that she was afraid that the Banzai would eat her. He knelt down and pulled two feathers from her wings and kept them between his teeth.

"Go to the Pride Lands and get help, I'm going to help out the prince" said Banzai. "Don't ask questions. I know what my mate is doing is wrong but the only way to stop her is to defeat her."

The majordomo shakily nodded her head in understanding as she flew off. Banzai watched her until she was out of sight before jumping out so that his presence could be known to them. The hyenas immediately ceased their barrage of attacks upon seeing him.

The prince's eyes registered shock when he saw Banzai and the feathers in his mouth. The prince glared at him but winced in pain making his glare ineffective.

"Lord Banzai, what are you doing out here?" asked one of the hyenas.

"I took care of that bird you so foolishly let escape. She would've gone and came back with other prides. How can you be so stupid and careless!" shouted Banzai still keeping the feathers between his teeth.

The hyenas shook in fear of their master. They all bowed down to him in respect. "We apologize but we were able to get the prince at least" said another one of the hyenas.

"I'll take care of him as well just to make sure you don't mess it up" commanded Banzai. "Go back to the matriarch and tell her that I will return later."

"Y-Yes sir" stuttered the first hyena.

They all turned and retreated back to the den. Banzai sighed in exhaustion and let the feathers fall softly onto the ground. He walked over to the prince but the lion just growled back at him threateningly.

"It's okay, I let her go and she's on her way to the Pride Lands as we speak. I need you to trust me so just let me help you. Who's the shaman here?" asked Banzai.

"She won't be able to help, she's dead" muttered the prince darkly.

"Then I know someone else that can help you" said Banzai. He dragged the prince's weak body away to a remote location far from his homeland. Once he had dropped him off, he turned back towards the direction of his pack.

"You stay here, I'll be back with help" instructed Banzai.

"Not like I have much of a choice" scoffed the prince.

Banzai took off in the direction of the pack. As he ran back he saw light coming from behind him and knew that the sun was beginning to rise. He just hoped that by the time he came back with the help he had in mind that the prince would still be alive.

-X-

Kopa yawned as he walked out of the den. The sun had barely risen but he already saw two figures watching the sunrise at the edge of Pride Rock. He recognized the two of them with ease of course even if he's only known one of them for a few months.

"Do you two ever wait for me?" Kopa chuckled softly as went to join his father and his brother-in-law.

"We're up to see the sun_rise_ not the sunset" Kovu smirked.

"Very funny" said Kopa sarcastically but he couldn't help but smile.

"It's like the two of you have been friends forever" smiled Simba, happy to see the two of them get along so well.

"Well if we're going to rule together then we have to get along or else things could go badly" pointed out Kopa.

"Well, as soon as the rest of the pride is awake we'll be going out on our morning patrol" stated Simba.

"Sounds good" said Kovu.

"Hey, have you guys ever wondered if other prides out there ever have to deal with drama like this one?" asked Kopa.

"Kopa, I've been thinking that for a _long_ time" Simba chuckled.

-X-

**So what did you guys think? I worked hard on giving a lot more character depth to Banzai. What do you think of him? Do you think he's a good hyena or do you think he'll turn on them sometime in the future? In the original plot I was going to have the prince killed but I decided to let him live. A death now just seems a bit too early. Also originally I was going to post this chapter later but I found that I was lacking reviews so I decided to quicken up the update. Leave a review! (I need to be fed with feedback!)**


	4. Hardships Of A Prince

**Here is the newest chapter but before I continue on, let me just tell you all that the prince is from the Western kingdom. In other words, he is the lion prince of Tamina's homeland if you remember from Tale of Two Kings. Anyway, here it is and I hope you all like it. Leave reviews! (Why this story not as popular as the first?)**

-X-

"Father, this is a bad idea, what if mother finds out? She'll have your head on a stick!" said Sauda worriedly when she saw the injured prince in front of her.

"Please, Sauda, I need you to do this for me. I know he's a lion and he's the enemy but what we're doing to his pride is wrong. And if things turn out how I hope they will then your mother will see as well. Just trust me" pleaded Banzai.

"If you keep this up then it won't matter, I'll bleed to death before you even get your healing started" the prince scoffed. He was clearly annoyed at this constant back and forth between father and daughter. "And this is the help you went out to get? She's a hyena, just like the rest of your stupid species, how can she help?"

Before Banzai could respond, his daughter cut in with an irritated expression. "What's that supposed to mean? For your information, I happen to be a highly intelligent hyena with the skills to rival the best of shaman!" she said defensively.

"Then prove it" the prince smirked.

"Fine!"

Sauda went off to look for medicinal herbs to treat the prince's wounds. When she was far away from them, the prince broke out in snickers. Despite his bloody condition, he was still able to make light of such a situation.

"I really don't appreciate you manipulating my daughter like that" Banzai sighed.

"Hey, she wasn't willing to help me out so I had to resort to puppetry" smiled the prince.

"I never actually caught your name" commented Banzai.

"It's Jelani, prince Jelani…Why did you help me? You're the matriarch's mate so why would you go against her?"

Banzai hesitated but then decided to confide in this lion. "…A long time ago we had a friend, he was a prince just like you only he had an older brother. For the longest time he had a darkness inside him but it was left untouched for the most part. But then a lioness joined the pride one day and she finds a way to open that darkness to all. Thus with every little thing the darkness grew stronger until he was barely recognizable anymore. He lost his mind and killed his brother for the throne as well as drove away his nephew. His nephew came back one day and overthrew him. Then we were banished but we vowed to become more like the good lion our old friend once was."

The two of them were silent for a long time. Jelani was a bit unsure of what to make of this story. He felt a strong distrust toward Banzai but he also felt a certain sympathy for him. Banzai definitely sounded and looked sincere to him.

"Then what about your mate? Why's she doing all of this?" asked Jelani.

"She feels she's doing the right thing because it was your lions that broke the peace treaty in the first place" replied Banzai although not venomously.

"We didn't break the treaty, it was your hyenas that ambushed us" countered Jelani with an edge of threat.

"Watch it! You're already in the process of dying, don't make me speed it up" Banzai snapped back.

"Look I'm just lost. We never broke the treaty."

"Well we found a couple of our hyenas dead and we were told that it was your lions that killed them."

"My lions would never do such a thing!"

"If there's one thing I learned it's to never trust your clan mates. You never know when one could turn on you."

Before this argument could continue, Sauda returned with a seemingly random assortment of plants. She silently padded next to the prince's bleeding body and began doing her shaman work. When she was done she took some of the foul smelling goop into her paw and hopped closer to the lion.

"This may sting a little" she said as she rubbed it onto the afflicted areas.

Jelani growled in slight pain at the touch but eased as it began to quickly set in. He was a little surprised that Sauda was capable of doing the same work as Kamaria, their previous shaman. After all of the medicine had been rubbed onto him, he sat up so that he could speak to them eye to eye.

"There, I hope it gets better soon. Just don't move around so much or else the wounds will reopen" instructed Sauda.

"Thanks…And sorry for saying you were incapable of doing this" said Jelani reluctantly. He turned to leave when Banzai stopped him.

"Where do you think you're heading off to?" asked Banzai.

"I'm going back to my father. I need to tell him what happened" said Jelani.

"That's not a good idea. My mate probably plans on placing extra security around the borders. If you get caught then it won't just mean trouble for me, it would mean trouble for you and the rest of your pride" Banzai warned him.

Although most of Jelani's land was captured, there was still one spot left untouched that belonged to his father. So the remainder of Western Kingdom's pride was living there for the time being. It wasn't much better than being a prisoner to the hyenas though.

"Then what do you expect me to do?" snarled Jelani. "Do you want me to abandon them? A prince would never turn his back on his pride!"

"Then I guess Taka never got the memo" muttered Banzai before saying at a louder volume. "Don't you think it's best to wait until actual help arrives? And if you go back you'll be taken prisoner or even killed. They'll know that help is coming and prepare a counterattack for them. Right now it's best you lie low around here until help comes."

Jelani growled lowly at him but he knew he was right. It wasn't much of a choice, if they found out he was alive then they would prepare themselves for the help that would come. The prince reluctantly nodded in agreement and looked off towards the east. "I just hope they arrive soon" he muttered.

-X-

"Okay, you know what I want to know is how did you two happen?" asked Vitani to Afua and Sierra.

"You're going to need to clarify" said Afua with a fake confused grin.

"You know what I mean; just a few months back you two were just friends. And now Sierra's due two weeks after me" said Vitani.

"Yeah how did that happen?" asked Kopa.

Sierra rolled her eyes but decided to have some fun. "Really Kopa, you're a grown lion and you still don't know? Well I guess I'll tell you. You see, when two creatures fall in love with each other they experience certain feelings and one day-."

"I don't need a mental image of that" Kovu chuckled.

"You knew what I meant. I want to know how the two of you became mates, not how you got pregnant. Besides if I didn't know then I'd be wondering whose cub it was inside _my_ mate and how it happened" said Kopa.

"Well you sort of walked into that" pointed out Kiara.

The six friends were all relaxing in the sun while enjoying their day off from duties. It was a good time for them to catch up and bond since they barely have time for each other these days. It was especially a good idea since Kopa and Kovu will one day be even busier than they were now. The cubs, Kito and Kioni, were being managed by Nala.

"It's simple, we both already had feelings for each other, so all it took was one little push to get us moving in the right direction" smiled Sierra.

"Oh, and what was this little push?" pressed Vitani.

"Pumbaa actually gave me some advice" admitted Afua sheepishly. "I wanted to ask Sierra to be my mate but I was just too nervous to. I ran into Pumbaa later and he insisted on me telling him what was wrong. After telling him, he encouraged me to just go for it. And here we are now."

"And we couldn't be happier" said Sierra.

"Hey there's something that's been bothering me for a while" cut in Kopa after a few seconds of comfortable silence.

"What's been bothering you?" asked Vitani as her brow furrowed in worry.

"It's just…Why would the former outsiders side with Zira in killing me? I mean, it seems to be going a bit too far with killing a defenseless cub" pointed out Kopa.

"As unreasonable as it may seem, those lionesses that sided with her all knew Taka or Scar in some way. Now that I think about it, I think they all knew Taka and they believed that he was a good lion. They wanted to believe that he was right and I think they thought that Simba was unfit to rule. Even if he was better than Scar, they probably felt he wasn't ready because he was gone for so long and he let Timon and Pumbaa do what they want. They just didn't think he was capable" explained Vitani.

"I suppose that makes sense in some twisted way" nodded Kopa.

Just then, Pumbaa arrived and walked over to them. He didn't seem as cheerful as usual and something about him just told them that he had something extremely serious on his mind. He walked over to Kiara and Kovu and whispered something only they could hear. After that, he ran off to a secluded area away from them.

"What's gotten into him, he didn't even say hello" scoffed Afua.

"We'll be right back" said Kovu as he stood up along with his mate.

"Where are you going?" asked Sierra.

"He says there's something urgent we should know but he wants to tell us in private" Kiara told them before following Kovu's lead towards the hiding warthog.

When the prince and princess had reached their friend's location, they were surprised to see him pacing back and forth with a serious expression plastered on his face. Pumbaa looked as if he was contemplating on something very important and it all depended on whether or not he told them what this something was.

"Pumbaa, are you all right?" asked Kiara worriedly.

Pumbaa gave a start at the sound of her voice as if he had just noticed their presence. "Yeah…I'm fine…Just didn't get enough sleep, that's all" he replied. This was true for the most part, every time he fell asleep, he dreamt of some way Kito could possibly die, whether it was by drowning, murder, stampede, or even choking on a bone. It scared the poor warthog to no end.

"Well how's shaman training? Did you finally agree to be Rafiki's pupil?" asked Kovu.

"Yes…But…I learned something that I have to tell the two of you. But you have to promise not to utter a word of this to anyone. I made a promise to Rafiki that I wouldn't tell anyone but I just have to" blurted Pumbaa before he could reconsider his decision. "Or at least to you two."

"It's okay Pumbaa, just breathe and tell us what's wrong, slowly" instructed Kiara gently.

Pumbaa inhaled deeply and looked up at the two predators in the eye. For a moment he saw a flash of the bloodthirsty pride of lions that had once tried to hunt him down. He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. That's when he noticed that he was trembling, he just couldn't stand it, what happened to Kopa, and he couldn't stand what might happen to Kito.

"You're shaking, are you sure you're all right?" asked Kiara.

"I-I'm f-fine…I just n-need some t-time to gather m-my thoughts" the warthog stammered.

"Maybe you should tell us some other time" suggested Kovu.

"It's Kito!" said Pumbaa abruptly. _'No turning back now.'_

"What's Kito?" asked Kiara now getting nervous by Pumbaa's tone.

"You shouldn't ever leave him alone. The leonine prophecy speaks of the next great king after Kovu and Kopa and it doesn't seem to describe Kito. We believe that it might either be Kopa and Vitani's cub or Kioni's mate. Either way it doesn't prophesize that Kito will be king" said Pumbaa as calmly as he could.

The future rulers just stared back in shock. It was difficult for them to process what they were just told and even more so to believe it. Kiara gave a worried glance over to her cubs that were currently chasing after a butterfly under Nala's watch.

"You mean something could happen to Kito?" inquired Kovu.

Pumbaa hesitated but then nodded.

"But that can't be! Maybe he's going to be king, just not a _great_ king" pointed out Kiara.

"We can't know for certain but one thing I do know is that we need to be extra careful of Kito. We need to make sure he's safe" resolved Kovu.

Kiara began shaking her head and looked up to her mate. "I promised myself that I wouldn't deprive our cubs the same freedom I was deprived of. I don't want them to feel as if they're being locked away without ever getting a chance to taste fresh air."

"Don't worry Kiara, they won't. we just need to be a little more cautious, that's all" assured her mate.

Kiara nodded and then turned to face Pumbaa. "Thank you for telling us, I know how hard it must be difficult for you to betray someone to protect another."

"No problem but is this really okay? I mean, the prophecy doesn't say he will be king so if things turn out the way it does, won't things possibly turn out badly in the future?" asked Pumbaa with worry.

"You're right about that…Well we're already planning on going against one tradition, why not go against another? We can establish law saying that the most capable heir will become the new ruler despite age" said Kiara.

"I don't know…I don't want to deprive Kito what's rightfully his but I also don't want to endanger the safety of the Pride Lands" sighed Kovu before adding with a firm tone. "And don't give me any of that 'greater good' stuff!"

"You make a valid point but I think that's what's best" said Kiara.

Kovu reluctantly agreed and they both dismissed Pumbaa afterwards. Once Pumbaa was gone, they returned to their friends with grim expressions and laid down beside their respective siblings.

"So what did you guys find out?" asked Sierra curious to know what they had been talking about.

Kovu stayed silent before looking over at Kopa and the fading scars given to him by his mother, to Kito who did not know what was going to come to him, to where Simba was returning from his patrol, who had ran away from home at a very young age. "All I know is that being a prince is harder than I thought" Kovu sighed.

-X-

_A nearly full grown lion and the adolescent walked alongside the river. It was sometime after midday and everything around them was quiet except for the sound of rushing water. The two of them seemed to be talking animatedly with each other._

"_It must be so cool to be a prince. Life must be pretty easy having all those lions wait on your every order" the adolescent mused._

"_Not really, it's actually pretty tough. I have to learn how to rule, wake up really early to check on my pride and my lands, and I have to make sure everyone's happy. It's especially hard for me in these conditions" said the older lion._

"_What do you mean Kanu?" asked the adolescent._

"_My father's been irrational lately. And you are aware of his paranoia as well. He's been thinking that everyone is against him and I'm just worried. He's not the best father or the best king but he's the only one I've got, know what I mean?"_

_The younger lion nodded. "Yeah, it was just like when I was still part of the Moon Pride. I never was part of any other pride and most of those other lions weren't exactly friendly towards outsiders like me but it was the only pride I had."_

"_It must've been rough for you."_

"_It certainly wasn't easy…But your father…Why did he order the complete elimination of the Moon Pride?"_

"_Like I said, he's paranoid, even back then. He felt that the Moon Pride was getting too strong and that they might've wanted to overthrow him."_

"_But they didn't! And why would anyone willingly go destroy a pride just because their king felt threatened?"_

"_They didn't. He made up a lie, he said there was a disease going around killing off members of the Moon Pride and he was afraid it might spread to our kingdom. The only way to destroy an epidemic like that was to eliminate the pride so that there would be no more bearers of the disease."_

_The adolescent stopped in his tracks and turned to face the water. His older companion did the same but looked over at him in worry. It was clear that the prince was worried that he had said too much to the young lion._

"…_That's just a terrible thing to do…" whispered the adolescent, partially to himself._

"_I know…That's why I believe that lions in the same power as my father are corrupted. Every single one of the great kingdom rulers…They just have too much power. So I've resolved to change that. I'll be different and I'll make sure that everyone is treated fairly and equally" said Kanu._

"_That's really noble…Maybe one day I can help you create a world of peace" the adolescent sighed._

"_That world of peace will be a true utopia. And I know you'll be able to help me accomplish that."_

"_Really, you think so?"_

"_I know so Hasani."_

Hasani blinked when he heard his name being called. He turned to face his accomplice, Thimba, the lion formerly known as Jua. Night had already fallen over the horizon and everything seemed to have been put into place.

"I just told Nyota her job" reported Thimba. "Although I'm still a bit unsure if we can trust hyenas. You do know what they are capable of, right?"

"You don't have to trust them. I don't myself. But they're necessary to complete a world void of corruption" said Hasani. "Besides, there are a few we _can_ trust."

"You mean the ones with the mark of unity on them, right?" said Thimba touching his own.

Hasani nodded and walked out of the den. He turned to face the north and thought back to the flashback he had just moments before. "Tomorrow at first light, we will be heading out again. There is no need for us to stay in the Western Kingdom."

"Where are we going to next?"

"The Northern Kingdom to see my old friend Kanu."

-X-

**I'm actually quite surprised I got this done. This chapter was originally going to be shorter but I decided to lengthen it. I'd like to remind everyone that I'm making most of this up as I go along although I do have some of it already planned out. Leave a review! Hope this chapter was satisfactory to your tastes and I'd like to wish all of you a Happy New Year!**


	5. A Normal Night

**Thank you all for reading and staying with me so far. I'm glad to see that this story has reached your expectations and that I have not failed to disappoint. I just hope I'm able to continue this trend. This is one of those rare moments where I had trouble writing out a chapter. This one was difficult but because of that I put in extra thought. Hope you guys like it read and review!**

-X-

"Is that all Zazu?"

The majordomo nodded in response. "Yes, it appears King Kanu had nothing to do with what happened and Hasani was acting on his own accord."

"That's good to hear. So what does Kanu plan on doing?" asked Simba.

"He's sent scouts to look for Hasani. He's hoping he will be able to talk some sense to the youth. He also says he doesn't want us interfering and that he will be able to handle the situation on his own" said Zazu.

"Alright, I guess that's fair. Excellent work Zazu, you must be exhausted from flying back here, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" suggested Simba.

"Thank you, sire. That is very generous of you and will be very much appreciated."

Kopa and Kovu watched as Zazu flew past them. They were both on their way to see Simba for 'king training' as the two princes called it. When they reached Simba, the king greeted them both warmly.

"Hey dad, what were you and Zazu just talking about?" asked Kopa.

"And where has he been? I haven't seen him since the incident with Hasani" added Kovu.

"Zazu was at the Northern Kingdom talking to King Kanu about what happened with Hasani since he is from Kanu's kingdom. I was hoping to get some information on him or at least make sure that Kanu had nothing to do with what had happened" exclaimed Simba.

"And what'd you learn?" asked his son.

"That it's a very long commute between the Northern Kingdom and ours" said Simba. "And that Kanu knew nothing of what Hasani was planning. Hasani left the pride a couple months before the incident, telling Kanu that he wanted to see the other prides for himself, and that he hasn't seen him since. But Kanu also says that he will be dealing with Hasani himself."

"…Um…Simba, can I ask you something?" inquired Kovu.

Noticing how nervous his son-in-law seemed to be, Simba could only guess that it had something to do with his grandcubs. It was either that or he had done something wrong. "You can ask me anything Kovu" Simba replied.

"Well…I was wondering if we could change the tradition of the eldest cub being ruler. I think we should make it so that the most capable heir should rule" said Kovu. "Kiara and I already talked about it and we both agreed that it might be best."

Simba raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he thought about why Kovu would ask for such a thing. His tail lashed out in thought before he came to a conclusion. "I can see why that may be concerning…But is it really right to take away Kito's birthright?"

"I love Kito with all my heart and I think he would make a fine king one day but you never know. Kioni might prove to be more capable or maybe even her mate. There's also the possibility that Kopa's cub is more worthy to ascend to the throne."

"…I'll think about it…" said Simba after a few seconds of thought.

The day seemed to drag on slowly and before they knew it, it was time to eat. The three of them met up with the hunting party with the selection of a zebra and a gazelle. If things continued as they did, everything would've seemed completely peaceful and normal for once if they didn't hear someone calling in the dark.

"Hello!" panted a voice from far away. "I'm…I'm l-looking for…the…king!"

"It sounds like the flapping of wings!" pointed out one of the lionesses.

"She sounds weak, somebody go meet her halfway!" ordered Simba.

One of the lionesses, one that went by the name, Kula, ran off according to Simba's instructions. The other lions waited by Pride Rock until she returned with a very tired looking bird on her back. The pride and Zazu huddled around the avian to get a better glimpse of her.

"Speak, are you okay?" asked Simba gently.

"King Simba…Thank goodness, I've finally arrived!" gasped out the bird.

"Give her some space" instructed Nala to the rest of the pride.

Most of the pride obeyed and backed away. Some of them even went back to the den.

"My word…Zahina, is that you?" whispered Zazu as he landed onto Kula's back, right next to the female bird.

"Zazu! Is that you? I haven't seen you in so long!" exclaimed Zahina as she pulled the majordomo into a tight embrace.

"Same to you" he choked out. "You look exactly as you did years ago!"

"I wish I could say the same to you but it looks like age has finally caught up with your appearance" Zahina giggled.

The lions that remained close enough to hear them all glanced at each other and then back down to the two birds. It seemed unusual to watch Zazu interact with another animal of his own species rather than others.

"You two know each other?" inquired Kiara.

"Zazu's not the only one who knows her" said Kopa as he brought himself to the front.

"Simba! It's you! And by that I mean _other_ Simba!" Zahina smiled widely.

"Yeah it's me, long time, no see" Kopa chuckled. "But I don't go by Simba anymore; it would be confusing considering my dad has the same name."

"Dad? So…Wait…You're a prince?!"

"Apparently so, my real name's Kopa by the way."

"That's great and all but back to my question, Zazu, how do _you _know her?" asked Kiara.

"Yes, Zahina and I used to be old friends. If I'm correct then I'm going to assume that you are now the majordomo of the Western Kingdom" said Zazu.

Suddenly, Zahina looked down sadly. She averted all of their eyes as she gave her reply. "Yes, but I'm afraid things aren't going so well back home. I came here because King Malka would like to enlist the assistance of your pride, King Simba."

Everyone looked at each other and Kovu ushered everyone except the royal family and the 'difficult ones' into the den. Kiara took her two cubs by the scruff of their necks and took them into the den with herself.

"Why does Malka need my help? Did something happen?" asked Simba.

"That's kind of what she's implying dad" said Kopa.

Simba narrowed his eyes as he shifted his gaze over to his son. Kopa got the message and stood closer to his mother who released a small chuckle. Simba turned back to Zahina with his normal calm exterior.

"Let me rephrase that question, what happened?" asked Simba.

"Hyenas…They attacked us out of nowhere. Well not nowhere, they were living just beyond the northern borders and we had signed a peace treaty with them. They broke it when they ambushed the queen and the rest of the hunting party while they were out" reported Zahina.

"Is the queen all right?" questioned Nala.

Zahina felt herself trembling and found that she was unable to speak so instead she just shakily shook her head slowly.

"You don't mean…" There was no need for Vitani to finish her sentence; they all knew what the outcome was without having to ask.

Kopa realized a heartbeat later that his claws were digging into the ground in frustration. He just couldn't believe the words that were reaching his ears. It was difficult considering he grew up near the Western Kingdom and practically raised by the pride there.

"But they're just hyenas, everyone knows that a well-trained lion could put up more than a fight against several of their kind" pointed out Kovu.

"It was a mass ambush wasn't it?" said Kopa although it was more of a statement rather than a question."They sent dozens or maybe even a hundred on them while they were caught off guard…"

Zahina nodded as her head drooped further. "I've never seen a hyena pack so large and their hyenas might as well have received the best training in the world. Each were incredibly skilled, fast, and surprisingly intelligent. It was like they had no weak points."

Everyone remained silent as they thought about the possibilities. That was when Vitani raised her head and spoke out for them. "Well those hyenas may have received some top notch training but I know a pride where half of the lions were trained to be assassins. Though I may not approve of using those old teachings, it seems we have no choice" said the former outsider.

"Now hold on, I'm not quite sure we should do this. It's more dangerous than anything we've ever encountered" interjected Kovu. "I don't think we should go."

"Then you stay here, I'm going" growled Kopa. "I am not going to just sit back and wait for the end to come to them."

"Thanks Sim-er…Kopa" Zahina smiled weakly.

"As much as I hate putting my pride into dangerous situations, I just can't leave Malka. He's my friend and I plan on helping him out" resolved Simba. "We'll leave as soon as we can, in three days time at the latest."

"Thanks dad" said Kopa.

"Oh thank the Great Kings, perhaps we aren't doomed after all" Zahina sighed in relief.

"If I can say something!" interrupted Kula. "Why should we help you guys if you didn't help us during _our_ time of need? Our ancestors suffered during Scar's reign and your pride did _nothing_ to assist us!"

"Kula!" Sierra scolded. She was one of the 'difficult ones' that refused to go back into the den.

"I'm only speaking the truth" the younger lioness scoffed.

"You shouldn't say such things about lions you didn't know" cut in Nala with a stern voice. "All three of the other great kingdoms would've tried to help us if they could. The Southern Kingdom was preoccupied with civil war. The Northern Kingdom's king was already on the verge of death. And the Western kingdom sent an army to help us but they were ambushed by Zira, her lionesses, and scores of hyenas. There was nothing more they could do."

"Well why didn't they just challenge Scar formally? He can't deny a lion the right of challenge" pointed out Kula.

"I've got a pretty good guess" Afua responded before Nala could. "Scar never even knew about the attacks did he? Zira would ambush them and kill them instantly, am I right?"

Nala nodded and then turned her hard gaze on Kula. "I hope you understand now Kula. You've got to think before you speak."

Kula looked down in embarrassment before looking back up to the queen. "Yes, my queen…" She then looked over her shoulder to get a better look of the bird perched upon her back. "I'm sorry Zahina…I was way out of line."

"It's fine, don't worry about it" the female majordomo replied.

"Okay so it's decided, we're going to go help the Western kingdom" said Simba.

"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble but we have a couple lions unable to go such a long distance. Vitani and Sierra are pregnant and there are many cubs that can't even walk without staggering a bit" pointed out Kovu. "Including my own."

"That's right…" murmured Kopa in disappointment.

"I've already thought about that" smiled Simba and then turned to his observant son-in-law. "Of course we can't just leave the Pride Lands all alone, Kovu, you will stay behind and take care of things while half of the pride goes to the Coast Lands."

"What!? But I can't do it! I'm not ready!" protested Kovu.

"You won't be alone, Nala, Kiara, and Vitani will all be here to help you out" assured his father-in-law.

"But I was planning on going" argued Vitani.

"Vitani, I can't risk you getting hurt, not while you bear our cub. Please stay behind and look after the pride" pleaded Kopa. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Vitani's ears flattened against her skull as she reluctantly agreed. "Yeah, you're right…"

"But not everyone in the Pride Lands fully trusts me" said Kovu. "What if I screw up? I could erase all the trust that every member of these lands has in me. I hate to admit it but I'm just afraid of failing…" Kovu noticed his voice was trembling as well as the rest of his body.

"Stop acting like a little cub!" yelled Kopa, snapping Kovu's attention away from the ground and to his brother-in-law. "I don't care if you feel you're not ready! Everyone else does so why do you have to doubt yourself? I've seen what you're capable of; you just need to keep in mind every piece of advice dad has given you. You're giving up without even trying! So stop talking like a loser and suck it up!"

"Kopa!" exclaimed Nala in shock.

Everyone expected Kovu to snap back or at least argue with him. But when they looked over at him, they were surprised to see that the darker furred lion was seemed to be smiling although it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes told the story of anger and the fire of competition. He's a boy, he has too much pride to be belittled by another.

"Don't think you'd be any different in my position. You act all high and mighty but I'll have you know that if you were put in charge of the pride you'd be cowering in fear of failing" Kovu smirked.

"Well I'm about to go face hundreds of hyenas and I'm not scared one bit! You on the other hand just have to maintain order for just a while and you were trembling like Zazu in the face of hungry leopards" Kopa shot back.

"Not scared huh, tell that to your shaking paws!"

"At least I'm being brave."

"At least I'm tough enough to admit my fear."

Even though these two lions were practically arguing, they were smiling throughout it. It seemed more like they were taunting one another or prepping each other so that they were ready for the challenges they will face.

"Boys" Vitani muttered with an eye-roll.

"I'll stay and I'll show you the better lion" Kovu said to Kopa.

"Can't wait" smiled Kopa.

"Okay, now that that's over, who wants to go eat?" said Nala with a light-hearted chuckle to her tender voice.

Everyone else returned to go eat while Zahina flew off of Kula's back. The outside of the den was now clear of all animal life aside from Simba, Zahina, and Zazu. Simba bent down so that he could look at the two birds in the eye.

"Zazu, could you take Zahina to your nest so she can rest. She's had a long flight and I do believe she must be very weary from her trip" said Simba.

"Of course your majesty" Zazu bowed before turning to Zahina. The two birds took off and the king watched them until they had vanished into the night sky. He sighed and looked up at the stars. He attempted to locate his father among them.

"…Please keep us safe during our journey…" whispered Simba. He turned away from the outside and trotted back to the den where his family was waiting.

-X-

The oasis was unusually cool even at night. At the current moment, tunnels were being dug all around in memory of Max. Timon was okay with this because last month they were almost eaten by a pack of wild dogs. The tunnels were more of a safety precaution than living space.

Tamina giggled as she watched Timon trying to entertain the kits by balancing a round rock on a stick. It was amusing because he was terrible at it, thankfully, the kits found it funny each time it dropped on his foot or head.

Tamina turned away from him and cut a corner, thus accidentally bumping into one of her fellow meerkats. Almost automatically, she snapped at him. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"Oh sorry!" apologized the other meerkat. He helped her to her feet and it was then he realized who she was. "You're Tamina right?"

Tamina grimaced as she dusted herself off. "Yeah, what of-!" She cut herself off when she saw who she was speaking to. "You're chief Twitch! I am so sorry; it was my fault for bumping into you!"

"Hey it's cool. If anything it was my fault, I was always sort of a klutz" Twitch chuckled.

"Wait…You're...okay with it?" she said hesitantly.

"Strange, I heard stories about your bravery and will to fight. Why are you being so cautious around me?"

"Let's just say I never had any good relationships with the colony chiefs I knew of."

"Why, did they mistreat you in some way?"

Tamina knew that it was meant to be a light joke but she took it hard. She looked away from him as she answered back in a quiet mutter. "One of those colony chiefs was my abusive uncle who took care of me when my sickly mother couldn't. I no longer bear his bruises but he still haunts me in my dreams."

Twitch noticed her shaking as she thought back to her old memories. He knew he had done the wrong thing by reminding her of something she wanted to keep buried. He patted her back soothingly. "I'm sorry for mentioning it. I was being insensitive"

"I don't need your pity!" she suddenly snapped. "Besides, family isn't perfect. It's not like I've ever seen you hang out with yours. Probably too busy to actually see them just like my damned uncle was."

Twitch flinched at the volume of her voice but recovered quickly. He put on a grim expression as he replied. "Actually, I've been alone since I was newborn kit. The only family I knew was Max. Now I don't really have anyone."

Tamina's anger subsided as she turned to him with an apologetic expression. "Oh my gosh…I'm sorry…I-I didn't know."

"Its fine, you didn't know…My dad died just before I was born, he was killed by a jackal. As for my mother, she was very weak and died giving birth to me. I had no siblings and all the ones my parents had were already gone so I was left to face the world without any real guidance… Well…I guess I'll just leave you alone for now."

"No, wait!" said Tamina as she grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, really I am. You're being so nice to me but I snapped at you for no good reason. I've always been like that but…I guess I was too busy seeing my own pain that I didn't think anyone else suffered in similar ways."

Twitch smiled gently and patted her head. "It happens. No one's life is perfect. We just need to learn to cope with it. Thanks for the chat…I'll be sure to remember it. You're not like other meerkats."

"I guess I'll see you some other time then?"

"Yeah, no problem…Oh, and take care of Timon, he gets into a lot of trouble when he's left to his own devices."

Tamina giggled softly knowing how true it was. "I'll keep that in mind"

Tamina sighed quietly when Twitch had gone back into one of the many tunnels. She made her way back to Timon and saw him herding the kits back to their respective parents. Once he had completed his task he looked over at her, smiled, and waved.

Tamina smiled and waved back.

_We just need to learn to cope with it._

One of the best ways was to have a friend by your side. She knew that from experience. Her friends have helped her deal with the pressures of life; maybe she could do the same for Twitch.

-X-

**[Edit]: I changed the ending to this completely so that I can tell everyone this, the part with the meerkats was meant for those of you dealing with difficulties in life. Just know that you're not alone and many people suffer the same way you do. It's much easier to talk about your problems and if you feel that there is no one you can really turn to, try talking to me. I'd like to help if I can. That's all, don't forget to leave reviews.**


	6. Our Growing Friendships

**I don't want to take too long so I'll just cut to the chase. Thank you all for reading and I really hope you enjoy this chapter. By the way, you can't expect me to update every three days like I used to, my first story was well thought out but this one has many blank areas. Now here's the newest chapter and I hope you all like it, read and review! **

-X-

"So what's the plan?" asked Kiara.

"By tomorrow, I'll be taking a large majority of the former Outsiders to the Western Kingdom as well as a few of the others. Only the most experienced of fighters though, I want to have a minimum casualty and injury rate" replied Simba. "You and Kovu are to stay here and watch over the pride in my place."

"What!? But we're not ready" protested Kiara.

"It's only going to be temporary. I'll be back as soon as I can" assured Simba. "Besides, you have so many others to help you. Just remember that you are never alone and you will be just fine. Don't worry."

"Hey dad, is it okay if we stop by the oasis to pick up Tamina? I'm sure she won't want to miss the action and she has a pretty close connection to the Western Kingdom anyway" suggested Kopa.

"That sounds good. I've heard about her skills and I think it would be best. We need as much as help as we can get."

"That's great!"

"And I think you'll need a shaman as well" spoke up Rafiki as he entered the den. Before Simba could say anything about the current situation, Rafiki held up a hand to stop him. "Zazu visited me early in the morning to tell me of the happenings of our friends. If things are as bad as they are, you're going to need someone to heal the injured that are there."

"But they have a shaman" said Kopa. "Kamaria."

Rafiki shook his head sadly as he looked at the young prince. "I am afraid she is no longer a part of our world. She died in her sleep a while ago."

"Then you will be accompanying us to the Western kingdom?" asked Simba.

"I am afraid that I am much too old for such a long voyage. Pumbaa will go with you, he knows enough about healing to treat the wounded" said Rafiki. "Besides, I am needed here. Vitani and Sierra are both due very soon as well as a few other lionesses. Pumbaa is not ready for that."

"I'm really not" agreed Pumbaa.

"That's right…Our cub, I won't be able to see him when he's born" realized Kopa. "…Maybe I shouldn't go!"

Vitani placed her paw over his comfortingly. "It'll be fine. Don't worry. It's not like you'll be missing his first words or anything."

"If you say so…" Kopa reluctantly replied.

"After the fuss you made yesterday, you better go" said Kovu. "But I'll be sure to tell you all about your cub when you get back."

"That leaves the issue of a messenger. It'd probably be best to take both Zazu and Zahina with us but then something might go wrong here and you guys might need to message us. Maybe I should leave one behind. Question is which one?" wondered Simba out loud.

"Take them both with you. If something goes wrong we'll be sure to tell you. Besides, two majordomos might be able to assist in negotiations with the hyenas" said Nala.

"Okay, how are two hornbills going to help with negotiations?" Vitani frowned.

"Majordomos have been trained and taught in diplomacy. If they know anything it's how to make a peace treaty" explained the queen.

Simba nodded in agreement and then turned to the shaman. "Rafiki, are you sure that Zahina's okay to make the travel back? It's about a two week voyage and I'm worried she might have tired herself out from the first trip and that she might be sick."

"Do not worry, she is completely fine and if not, just have one of the lions carry her on their back. The little thing does not weigh much" Rafiki chuckled lightly.

During this exchange between the king and the shaman, Afua led Kopa to a more isolated and less populated area of the den so that they could speak to one another in private.

"What's up Afua, you scared of going to the Western Kingdom?" asked Kopa.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping to skip out on this journey if it's okay with you" admitted Afua sheepishly.

"What! Why don't you want to go? You can kick some hyena butt and then come home to your cub, telling him or her about your heroism" said Kopa. Although he probably understood why his friend wanted to remain here rather than go to a far away land.

"I just worry about Sierra. Rafiki told me not to tell anyone because it might worry them but he told me that Sierra isn't exactly…completely healthy" Afua whispered the last two words as if there was someone close enough who could actually hear them.

Kopa frowned upon hearing this but decided to continue the conversation in low voices since that's what Afua seemed to be doing. "What do you mean? She healed from that poison so she should be fine."

"She didn't heal from it…It was mostly extracted. However if you remember, Rafiki came back late so the antidote didn't completely fix her" said Afua as he paced around nervously. "He told me that very tiny bits of it still lingers in her blood system."

"If it's only a tiny bit then why are you so worried? It shouldn't affect her that much or anything."

"The poison sort of…multiplies. So she takes this medicine everyday to keep it from flooding her systems. Once she didn't take it and her right hind paw was paralyzed for a whole day. And that was just missing it once!"

"Okay calm down. You can stay here. I totally get why you want to keep an eye on her, I don't mind. And don't worry, she'll be just fine."

Afua finally relaxed and sighed as he gave Kopa a grateful hug. "Thanks so much for this Kopa."

"No problem" the prince smiled. "What are friends for?"

-X-

Twitch grunted as he pulled on a vine that was tied to a large log. He was lifting the log high enough into the air so that the young mothers could collect some grubs from under it for their young. He felt the amount of effort of pulling the log decrease suddenly. He blinked to make sure he was seeing right.

"I figured you could use some help" said a voice from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Tamina grinning back at him. She was holding the end of the vine.

He smiled back at her as they both heaved the vine to a peg stuck on the ground. He tied the vine around it and then wiped the sweat from his forehead. They both sat down so that they could rest from the hard work. "Thanks" he said.

"Think nothing of it. It's sort of an apology for the way I snapped at you and also a thank you for letting me stay here" smiled Tamina.

"You've been a great help here, really."

"Well I'm glad this colony appreciates hard work. My old one always neglected giving me any gratitude whenever I did something good for them."

"Well…We're a pretty unique colony" Twitch chuckled. "Your old colony resided in the Western Kingdom right?"

"Close, we lived right on the border but we were still ensnared with their politics. The other colony members were just too afraid to get any closer to the lions than they already were" Tamina mused.

"I don't blame them…" nodded Twitch. "But I have to ask, what made you suddenly want to hang out with me? Was Timon busy or was it because you pitied me?"

"…It's not that. I don't do things out of pity…I'm just really sorry for the way I acted."

"To be honest, part of me sort of knew you'd snap at me. Timon told me about your first reaction to him."

"It wasn't my fault. I was in a high tree and he totally surprised me!"

"So I've heard…You're certainly a different meerkat. You don't talk to me as if I'm a child who doesn't understand or like I'm the leader of some huge organization. You just talk like my equal."

Tamina looked away but she was smiling. It looked as if she was reminiscing about the past. "I've sort of adopted that way of speaking. I've always hated how bigger animals would make me feel smaller than I already am so I stood up to them. I fought them and I proved to them I was on the same level. I guess I just don't want others to feel the same way I did so I treat them as my equal."

"I really admire that about you" said Twitch after a short while. This caught her attention and she looked over at him. "You're so much stronger than others and you're not afraid to show that to the world. It's truly inspiring and sometimes I wish I could be more like that" His smile dropped as he continued. "But just seeing an unfamiliar predator brings back my twitch."

Tamina felt a twinge of sadness when she saw his expression. "Come on Twitch. You're perfect just the way you are. My mom always said that you should embrace who you are, not run away from it or wish for to be different. You can accomplish great things by just being you."

"Your mother sounded like a wonderful meerkat."

Tamina smiled when she noticed his depressed expression slowly fading from his face. "She was…And so are you."

"You really think so?"

"Let's put it this way. If I thought you were a lousy meerkat, then I wouldn't be hanging out with you."

Twitch chuckled in amusement. After a little bit more conversation, they lowered the log back to its original position. They walked over to the top of one of the majestic waterfalls. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from Twitch's heart as he just sat there talking to Tamina.

-X-

Jelani woke up from his deep sleep and growled at the sound of approaching footsteps. The footsteps stopped for only a second but then continued to reach his location. The scent was familiar to Jelani but there was another one that he did not recognize.

"Jelani…Are you okay in there?" asked a hushed voice in a gentle tone.

Jelani felt his muscles relax when he recognized the familiar voice. "Yeah Sauda, I'm just fine. Did something happen?"

Sauda made herself visible to him and he noticed why he hadn't recognized the other scent. There was a young hyena pup with her, no more than maybe a few weeks old. He was staring up at the prince in awe.

"I'm sorry. He overheard me and father talking about you and then demanded he see you" Sauda apologized sheepishly.

"Cool! I've never seen an adult lion up close!" said the pup excitedly. He bounced up to Jelani and began batting at his mane. "Besides the king, there are very few of you lions with this much fur around them. Is it like a rare trait or something?"

Jelani felt amused by this pup's lack of knowledge of lions. He decided to educate and entertain the young thing. "Actually, only male lions get manes like these. A pride is mostly made up of females and they don't grow manes."

"That makes sense" nodded the pup. Sauda sighed and took a few seconds to collect herself after her initial fear of getting caught.

"Jambo, I'd like you to meet Jelani. Jelani, this is my son, Jambo" introduced the female hyena. "Jelani, I hope you could forgive me for bringing him here to see you."

"It's fine. Besides, I've never seen a hyena cub up close before" commented Jelani.

"Actually the correct term would be pup" giggled Sauda.

"Right, I forget."

The day slowly dragged on and Jambo soon fell asleep. The two adult animals were still having a pleasant conversation with each other. It's only been a little more than a week since they've known each other but it still felt easier to talk to each other since they really wasn't anyone else for them to communicate with.

"So if there's a pup involved then there should be a daddy hyena, am I correct?" said Jelani.

Sauda suddenly felt uneasy as she avoided any further eye contact. She looked away and had a distant look to her eyes. "He, uh, abandoned me…He was a rogue that I had fallen in love with but mother didn't approve of him. So at first I had stuck to secret midnight trysts with him but when I had told him of my pregnancy…"

She trailed off so the prince decided to pick it up. "He left without saying word" he finished for her.

She nodded as she felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. It was only a small comfort but Jelani patted her back in a gentle manner. "What about you? Do you have a mate or a cub back with the rest of your pride?" sniffed Sauda after she had regained her composure.

It was Jelani's turn to feel uneasy. "I did…"

"Did? What happened?"

"I had a mate and a cub but…My cub was very ill when he was young and so he wasn't even able to survive to see six moons" said Jelani regretfully as if it was his fault. "When he was gone, my mate lost her mind…She denied the fact that he was dead. And she went as far as kidnapping one of the other lioness' cubs and pretended that he was her own. But when the mother tried to retrieve him…" Jelani gulped. "She killed her. After that my father had to banish her for murder…It was the hardest time of my life…"

Sauda wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it certainly wasn't this. She felt sympathy for this poor lion who had suffered through so much. Now she understood why he had risked his life to get help for his pride…He just couldn't afford to lose anything else.

"My dad said that when this is all over, things will return to normal. You'll be back with your pride and your father will be in charge of the Western Kingdom once more. I know you can't erase the past or change it but you can still start over. I want you to know that everything will be okay" reassured Sauda.

"Thank you Sauda…For everything" smiled Jelani. "You know, you're not what I expected in a hyena."

"Let me guess, you imagined all hyenas to be barbaric and bloodthirsty" guessed Sauda with a knowing grin.

"Pretty much, how did you guess that so quickly and easily?"

"That's how I imagined all lions to be. But our ancestors were wrong about one another. We have a lot more in common than one would think. We have similar aspects when it comes to love and family. We don't want them to get hurt."

Jelani quietly agreed with her with a smile. She noticed that his eyes showed a hint of longing. She wondered if he was wishing for a world without segregation of animals. For them all to live in a world without war, a world of eternal peace.

"Do you think lions and hyenas could be friends? Even after all the bad things they've done to each other in the past?" asked Jelani.

Sauda thought about it for a bit before coming up with a conclusion. "I don't think we'll ever be able to mend the bridge that connected pride and pack once before but I do think we'll be able to create a new one if we just put aside our differences and work together."

Jelani nodded. "You talk a lot like a shaman."

"I've heard that before."

-X-

Zazu flew back to his nest while carrying a makeshift bag that was actually a leaf in his beak. The contents were grubs and berries. The kind of food perfectly suited for hornbills and many other small species of bird. He came back to meet the worried expression of Zahina.

Once he had landed, she flung her wings around him in relief. "Oh thank goodness you're back! When I had woken up and found you missing, I was worried you had abandoned me here all alone."

Zazu was completely caught off guard but then returned her gesture after he dropped the leaf onto the floor of the nest. "I would never abandon you. We've been friends for a long time now, you should know me better than that."

"I know" she sniffled as she pulled away. "It's just…after being alone for almost a whole week…I was just…I was just feeling a little lost. You and Sim-Kopa, are the only ones I know here. Please don't leave me alone again."

Zazu felt a certain sympathy for the younger majordomo. He took one of her wings in his and stroked the feathers with his other. "This reminds me of when I had first met you…Do you remember?"

She nodded and he felt her calming down a bit. "You and your mother had come to the Western Kingdom with a message from King Ahadi. You went off exploring and you found me. I had gotten lost in the jungle and you helped bring me back to the kingdom."

"If I remember, it was our parents that brought us back, not me" mused Zazu with a light-hearted chuckle.

"Still…Thank you…"

-X-

"_Zazu, I'll be taking the message to the king so why don't you go and do a little exploring?" suggested Zuzu as she and her son was flying over the Western Kingdom. "It won't be long."_

_She was able to catch the teenaged hornbill's attention. Zazu, who was usually ignoring her every word, was looking straight at her since he really didn't know much about this place. "There's really not much to see around here. The ocean and the beach are nice but what else is there to see around here?" asked Zazu._

"_You can go check out the jungle, just be careful and don't talk to strangers" suggested Zuzu._

_Zazu sighed knowing that it was difficult to argue with his mother when she was in business mode. "Yes mother" he nodded. He changed direction and began to fly towards the jungle._

"_And if you get lost, just follow the king's roar when he calls the pride for dinner!"_

"_Yes mother!"_

_Zazu didn't really feel like exploring a humid jungle but he decided he could get some private time with his thoughts. He found a high tree deep into the jungle where he perched upon. He was thinking about how he was going to have to take his mother's place as majordomo of the Pride Lands one day and he was not looking forward to it. He soon drifted into a deep sleep, forgetting his troubles._

_Zazu's eyes fluttered open at the sound of a soft and scared voice. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep but he was sure it was past dinner. He shuddered at the thought of coming back to his mother who was likely to be angry at him for being out so late._

_He suddenly heard the sound that had awoken him. "H-Hello? Can s-somone h-help me? I…I got lost…and…I don't know what to do or where to go."_

_He looked down at the ground from atop of the tree and saw a chick. She couldn't possibly be much older than a newborn fledgling. He shrugged and decided that she was none of his concern. He was about to take off when he heard her scream._

_Zazu looked back down to see a serpent slithering closer to the young fledgling. "Come here, little birdie. Don't worry, I'll make thisss quick" hissed the deadly reptile. It lunged at her with the full intention of swallowing her up whole._

"_HELP!" the fledgling shrieked._

_Zazu saw a hard shelled fruit hanging right over the serpent's head and flew down towards it. He snapped it from the branch and it fell right onto the predator, knocking him out._

"_I sssee ssstars" said the serpent before falling onto the floor, completely unconscious._

"_Are you all right?" asked Zazu. _

_She nodded fearfully but then she jumped into his wings and hugged him. Zazu was caught off guard and he wasn't sure how to react. "I was so scared, thanks so much for saving me mister" she sniffed._

"_You're not safe yet, he could wake up at any moment so I suggest we get moving. Can you fly?" asked Zazu._

"_If I did then I would've been able to escape. No, it's embarrassing but I can't fly yet" she admitted bashfully._

"_Then how did you get all the way out here?"_

"_A bigger bird said that he could teach me to fly and brought me out here. But then he abandoned me. I was so scared; I didn't know what to do"_

"_We'll talk about that later. For now, let's take you back home. Where are you from?"_

"_The kingdom near here, my father's the majordomo and he serves the king."_

_Zazu nodded in understanding and thought for a moment. "There's no way we'd be able to get back fast enough on foot. I'll just have to teach you to fly and hope you learn really fast."_

_The fledgling's eyes twinkled in pure delight once she had heard this. "Really, mister, you can teach me to fly?"_

_Zazu nodded again and led her away from the unmoving serpent. They made it to a short cliff near a rushing stream. Zazu knew that if they followed it upstream, they would end up at the ocean so it was best for them to start here so they could just follow it back._

"_I'm Zahina by the way. What's your name mister?" asked the fledgling._

"_I'm Zazu, and don't call me mister. That makes me feel old, I'm only in my late teens" said Zazu._

_They spent at least half an hour but Zahina was soon able to fly without much trouble at all. She was all giddy now and flying in circles around Zazu. "This is so cool!" she squealed excitedly._

"_Glad you're enjoying it, now we better hurry home before-."_

"_Ahem" said a voice from above them. Zahina landed right next to Zazu and they both looked up to see their parents looking down at them with very disappointed expressions. Actually, it was more of a mix of worry and irritation._

_The next day soon came along and Zazu and his mother were getting ready to go. After last night's scolding, Zazu was relieved to be leaving this place. But before they took off, Zahina flew up to him and hugged him._

"_Thanks again for saving my life and teaching me to fly" she smiled in his feathery chest._

_Zazu was taken aback but this time he placed one of his wings on her back. "No problem kid."_

"_Will you be coming back again?" asked Zahina._

_Zazu looked at the impatient expression of his mother and then back to the eager one of this young chick. He chuckled to himself."Sure…I'll come back again and when that day comes, we'll get to learn more about each other."_

"_Thank you…"_

-X-

**Okay, hope you enjoyed that flashback into Zazu's past. Now I know that there is going to be those of you with 'ideas' so I'll just clear them up right now. Jelani and Sauda are strictly friends, nothing more, nothing less. Now if that's all, I'll be taking my leave. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review for me.**


	7. Burden of Adventure

**I am suppressing the urge to destroy my computer. I've been feeling really negative lately and my lack of reviews helps nothing. It's like I've fallen into a pit of darkness and there's no way of getting out of it. I don't blame any of you for not reviewing and I don't want to come off desperate, I guess it's just that I'm moving from the third floor of my house to the living room of the second floor. My family lives in a three story house, unfortunately, a new family is moving into the third floor so I'll have to take refuge downstairs until my aunt and uncle move out of the first floor and to their new house. I know I shouldn't complain but I'm just not feeling myself. Hope this chapter lifts your spirits…and mine. Leave review in jar please. I also take cash.**

-X-

"I've been left with this awful burden to carry all by myself" grumbled a female buzzard by herself. It was her belief that there was no one else around so she thought was able to speak as freely as she wished to. "Those stupid lions, always thinking they're better than the rest of us…Why I oughtta-!"

"You ought to what?" said an awfully familiar voice from behind her.

"Lord Hasani, I said nothing of the sort! Please spare me!" cried out the buzzard. She was in a kneeling position and groveling at the deadly predator's feet. But when she looked up to see his face, she saw that it wasn't a lion she was talking to. It was actually another big cat, a cheetah.

"I'm not Hasani" the cheetah smirked.

"How dare you scare me like that! I've already had enough of you and your stupid imressions. And why are you here, shouldn't you be back in your luxurious home? Lord Hasani said you were not needed for this mission" squawked the buzzard.

The cheetah rolled his eyes and frowned at the bird. "You're about as stupid as ever Nyota. I came because you imbeciles for majordomos failed to relay any message of our plans to me and my clan."

"Yes we did, we sent him to you and your clan but you never sent him back!"

"That's probably because I came here and found your idiotic messenger dead. He had eaten some of the poisonous berries from the nearby plant life and was killed in a matter of seconds. You birds are as dimwitted as you are feathery."

The buzzard glared at the predator. "Well you cats are as bossy and rude and inconsiderate and mean as…as something that's bossy and rude and inconsiderate and mean!"

"Ooh, that hurts…"

"Good it should."

"Not getting the sarcasm are you? So on another note, where is lord Hasani anyway?"

"He and the rest of the group went off to the Northern Kingdom. If you want to go see him then go do it yourself. There's no way I'm sending one of us on your behalf." stated Nyota grouchily.

The cheetah rolled his eyes again and turned back towards the direction in which he came from. He glanced over his shoulder with one last chilling glare. "You better be grateful for your usefulness, if it wasn't for that, you'd be dead by now."

Nyota felt a shiver run down her spine. She felt a dark aura emanating from the deadly predator behind her. She looked behind her but saw that he was gone. She wrapped her wings around herself as she stared at the spot he was just a few seconds ago. "Carnivores" she shuddered.

-X-

The next morning seemed to have come too soon. Simba did as he had said and took at least half the pride with him. The king gave loving nuzzles to his family and the prince said goodbye to his friends. With that, the rescue party, being led by Simba began moving forward after the majordomos came to meet them.

They made it to the border that connected the Pride Lands to the Outlands. Kopa glanced back at Pride Rock over his shoulder. "It feels like I just got here and now it feels like I'm leaving it forever" he commented.

"That's never a good sign" said Pumbaa, slowing down to the same pace as the prince. "You need to keep a more positive outlook on things."

"I know…" said Kopa. "It's just hard to think that the home I've known for years might be gone and the home I've grown to love, I might never see again. I'm running out of options for a place to live the rest of my life."

"It'll be fine. If there's one thing I know about us, it's we'll never give up without a fight" smiled Simba before adding. "And when it comes to trouble, we always come through in the end."

"Let's just hope we come out unscathed" muttered Kula grouchily.

Zahina frowned and fluttered from Simba's shoulder to Kopa's so that she could be closer to the lioness. "You sound so bitter, it's like you don't like anything. What sort of insect crawled so deep under your skin that you despise everything?"

"Watch it…Before you become flightless" warned Kula.

Simba gave her a stern glare but she pretended to not to notice it. But it was clear that she was irritated by how he had taken the side of an outsider's rather than his own subject. The king sighed; he wondered how he could bring back the old Kula. The one he knew before things changed.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kopa worriedly. "When I returned to Pride Rock, you were always so chill. But after Jua, or Thimba, left, you changed Kula. Did you two have a thing or something?"

Kula gave Kopa a strong death glare causing him to back away a bit. "Kula and Jua are brother and sister" chimed in Zazu.

"Gee, I'm sorry, I didn't know. In my defense, I fell off that cliff before you were born" said Kopa.

"Yeah, I never got to know you because I never even knew you existed. Too bad that couldn't stay the same" said Kula with a scowl.

Almost everyone had their jaws drop at her comment but she briskly walked past them as if they were thin air. Simba sighed deeply and shook his head. Kula behaved as if whatever she said wouldn't hurt anyone or as if they would fall on deaf ears. She never saw the other side of the story.

"Kula, apologize to Kopa right now!" urged the lioness' best friend, Tama.

"Why? If he was never born then all of the bad things wouldn't have happened to us" countered Kula coolly.

Tama glared at her and slapped her in the face hard. Everyone froze and stared at the two of them. Kula was left in shock as she looked at her usually timid friend. "And what makes think that everything would've been okay after that? It's pointless to say what _could've_ happened if someone didn't exist, for one thing, life might've be worse than it already is" argued Tama.

"Kula…You don't have to like me, you don't even have to acknowledge me. But you do have to cooperate with me if you want all of us to come back home safe and sound. Even if you hate me, I'm going to do my job as prince and protect you and the rest of our pride" resolved Kopa.

Kula looked away from him as she continued along in silence. Tama heaved a sigh of relief seeing as how her best friend had decided not to counter back with hostility. Simba looked at his son with a proud smile.

"You really have grown so much. I'm proud of you" remarked the king causing his son to blush sheepishly in response.

"You think so? Thanks dad…" smiled Kopa.

-X-

Right after Simba's group had left Pride Rock, Kovu was left in charge. Nala was already setting up the hunting party, Kiara was watching over their cubs, and Vitani was resting with the other pregnant lionesses. Things would go smoothly as long as they weren't attacked.

Kovu took in a deep breath as he began to climb down the kopje. However, before he left for his patrol a small voice stopped him. "Papa, where you going papa?" asked a cute little voice.

Kovu couldn't help but smile at the young cub. "Kito, papa will be right back. He just needs to go do his job for now."

The youngest prince stared up at his dark coated father. His head tilted to the side in curiosity. "As king?" asked Kito.

Kovu chuckled to himself. "No, I'm more of a temporary leader. Why don't you go play with your mother and sister?"

"I want play with you! I'm going to take your place one day so I should learn how to be a good ruler."

Kovu felt his muscles tense up as he recalled his conversation with his father-in-law. He still didn't have an answer from him but if he decides to pass the new law then Kito might not be the next king. "You'll be an excellent ruler no matter what. But you should enjoy your cub hood for now. I'll take you with me some other time" he promised.

Kito seemed to be disappointed at first but then hid his disappointment behind a small smile. "Oh…Okay papa…I'll see you when you get back."

"That's my boy" Kovu chuckled.

Kito turned and stumbled towards Kiara and Kioni who were waiting for him. Kovu was finally able to relax once his family was together, excluding himself. He was about to leave when he was reminded of Pumbaa's warning. He turned back towards them. "And stay away from anything that could be dangerous! This includes the Outlands, Zulu Falls, Zuberi river, the gorge, the cliff, you know what, just stay by your mother at all times!" he yelled to them.

"They'll be fine!" assured Kiara. She looked down on her charges and gave them an unconvinced smile as they chased after a butterfly. _'I hope…'_

-X-

The rescue party decided to take a rest in the oasis. They were sleeping in the field of grass so the rest of the colony was avoiding the area. Even if they were trusted predators, no one ever got hurt by being too wary of possible danger. They learned that lesson when Hasani had killed off a few of them.

"I just can't believe you guys are leaving" said Ma.

"We'll be fine Ma, we've been through way worse" assured Timon for the five hundredth time.

"You don't have to go Timon. This is my home, or at least it used to be, that we're saving. It's my responsibility to protect, nothing bounds you to helping out as well" cut in Tamina.

"I'm not letting you go by yourself. Besides, Simba and Pumbaa are going, you can't break up the Hakuna Matata trio!"

"What does that even mean?" Timon opened his mouth to answer but Tamina raised a hand and shook her head. "You know what, I don't need to know."

Twitch watched as the three of them continued to converse. The colony chief noticed how tense Tamina appeared. He knew she didn't want to go back, going back would mean facing her uncle again. He couldn't go with them being the chief but maybe someone else could help her.

"I'm just going to miss you so much" sniffed Ma as she held in her tears.

"It'll be fine, Ma. _I'll_ be fine" smiled Timon. He held out his arms for a hug and she took it. Unfortunately, it may have been hugging for Ma but it was more like strangling for Timon. "Oh Timmy!" she exclaimed. "Ma…Choking…Not breathing!"

"Don't worry about him, I'll be there and I'll be sure to protect 'Timmy'" Tamina chuckled.

Twitch flinched when he heard her chuckle. To him it sounded so hollow and empty, as if it had lost all its shine and luster. Timon gave her a glare but it seemed as if he had noticed the same thing about her laugh which was strange considering how usually self-absorbed he was.

"Timon…Can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Twitch. Timon looked over at the chief with a raised eyebrow but decided not to fight against it. He followed Twitch to a more private location, a place where they could remain unheard.

-X-

Shenzi watched as her pack carnivorously gobbled up the dinner. It made her feel sick knowing that she was of the same species as these things. She felt another presence seat himself beside her. She didn't even have to turn to see who it was. "Banzai, where have you been?" she asked irritably.

Banzai hesitated, there was no way he could tell her that he was visiting and harboring a fugitive. He hated lying to her but he knew he would have to. "I was just out. Had to make sure the prince's body was properly buried, don't want those pesky buzzards to get it."

"You're way too charitable, even to our enemies" she grumbled.

Banzai put up the best fake smile he could muster. It was all he could do from preventing himself to speak the truth. "Even if we hate lions, they would've done the same for any one of us despite our differences" he pointed out.

"Why didn't you just bring the body back? Some of these sorry excuses for hyenas love the taste of lion. It's depressing to think that we were once like them" said Shenzi.

Banzai shuddered as he remembered Scar's death. All of the hyenas had eaten the late king, piece by piece, well, all except one. "Those days are in our past…"

"And yet they still haunt me in the form of nightmares."

"…Same here…"

"Banzai, I need to ask of a favor of you."

"You know I'd do anything for you."

"I want you to go to the rest of what's left of that measly pride and tell them what happened to their precious prince and majordomo. Take team A with you, just to be safe."

Banzai looked away to hide his conflicted expression but agreed to it nonetheless. "Right, I'll do that."

Banzai stood up and was about to join the rest of the pack for dinner once he had realized that he hadn't eaten yet. But before he reached them, Shenzi stopped him. He immediately tensed up, worried that she had found out that he was hiding something.

"Where's Sauda?" the matriarch asked instead.

Her mate stopped himself from breathing a sigh of relief. That would've been a dead giveaway. "She went out for a drink. You know how arid it can get around here" he lied. In reality, their daughter had gone back to see if Jelani was doing all right. "Is that all?"

She hesitated. "I also want to apologize. I know you don't think that this is right but I promise you that thing will change for the better this way. And don't think of this as our old lifestyle, think of it as strengthening our pack so we can protect it."

This was always Shenzi's excuse, to make their pack stronger so that they could face any challenge with a minimal amount of casualties. Banzai didn't even glance back at her but she knew that he didn't find her apology sufficient enough.

"Our pack is strong enough" he muttered as he pulled away from her. He dissolved into the crowd of hyenas before she could utter another word.

Shenzi's ears drooped in a saddened expression. Ever since a couple of weeks back when they had taken over the pride, their relationship has been washed down the river. It was as if all the joy, happiness, and love were gone. It was replaced by the complete opposite of such feelings now. This wouldn't be the first time she found herself thinking if this was actually worth it. If all this inner pain, turmoil, and confusion would one day gather into a black hole and she would be sucked into it. There will be no escape then.

-X-

"You must really enjoy looking at the stars" commented Jelani. This caused Sauda to flinch in surprise. She relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Yeah, it's sort of been a hobby of mine" replied Sauda. "Is Jambo asleep?"

"The little guy tired himself out trying to win a play fight with me" Jelani chuckled. "Interesting kid you've got there"

"He's a lot of work but in the end it's all worth it."

"I remember the feeling."

Sauda immediately felt guilty for bringing Jambo here. It was like rubbing in his face that she had a child and he did not. She was about to apologize when Jelani lay down next to her and looked up at the stars. He seemed so peaceful that she decided not to bring it up.

"The stars really are beautiful. I remember doing this often with my father when I was really young. He told me that all the great kings of the past are up there. Watching over us and assisting us when we need guidance" reminisced Jelani.

"My mother told me similar stories. Although she never watched the stars with me, neither did my father but he seemed to believe that those stories to be true. I often see him searching the night sky for something and I hear him say a name but I can never make it out" she said sadly.

"Well then watch the stars with me. It'll give you a chance to share your hobby with someone rather than do it alone"

Sauda felt touched but then she realized what time it was. "Oh Great Spirit! What am I doing, it's already late! My mother might be getting worried about me and my whereabouts."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault you stayed out this long" apologized the prince. "Maybe you should stop coming, it might start to arouse suspicions from your pack."

"They don't care about individuals but my mother does" Sauda sighed. "Even if I choose not to come, Jambo's going to insist on coming to see you again. I think he sort of sees you as his father figure. My father and my uncle are always too busy to play with him."

"A lion as a father figure for a hyena. That sounds like an interesting combination" Jelani chuckled. "I'll see you some other time Sauda…" Sauda nodded with a smile and let Jelani help place Jambo onto her back. But before she was about to leave, his voice stopped her in her tracks. "Thank you for everything."

She smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she felt needed by someone. Ever since her family had started to drift apart, she's always felt isolated without any interaction with other living creatures other than her own son. But now there was this lion, the supposed enemy of her kind, telling her how he enjoyed her company. It had been a long time since she felt like this, since she felt…happy.

-X-

The wet season was coming around. Thimba was able to tell by the temperature drop and the amount of rain and fog. It would take a few more days but they'd soon reach the Northern Kingdom. He remembered his first reaction upon seeing the Western Kingdom. He was left in awe by the sight of the ocean and sand. He now knew that not every pride looked like his home and he began to have a sick feeling lingering in his stomach.

"Looking at the stars for guidance?" asked Hasani, coming around to sit next to the younger lion.

"Just thinking, that's all" yawned Thimba. He remembered the feeling of the Pride Lands. How he never actually felt at home and now that he was away, all of the tension seemed to have disappeared into the thin air. He was struck by how much calmer he was than ever before and it was surprising considering everything he's been through over the past few months.

"Anything specific you're thinking about?"

"How does the Northern Kingdom look like, exactly? I've never been there myself but I heard that the grass there is even more beautiful than it is in the Pride Lands."

"That's pretty much why it's called the Lush Lands. It's a wonderful kingdom but the animals there hold lots of distrust towards the royal family."

"Why?"

"Let's just say that the previous monarchs were always power hungry."

Thimba was suddenly reminded of Scar and he recalled the reason for joining Hasani and his group in the first place. He felt all his negative emotions rise back to the surface. "Just like Scar was."

"Yes, I've heard many stories of this tyrant of a king but I could never imagine someone so cruel" said Hasani. "It's like he was completely emotionless and had no care for others."

"That's because he didn't" growled Thimba. The young lion began to pace around the entrance of the cave. He paused and touched the scars given to him by Vitani. Even though the pain had subsided a long, long time ago, he winced anyway. "What about the Southern Kingdom? How come they're not involved in our plans?"

"The Southern Kingdom has been a supporter of peace for a long time. There won't be any need to bring them into our plans. They're the only kingdom that has not been corrupted by the evils of power. It's very uplifting to know that not every pride is the same" replied Hasani. "Now get some sleep, we continue on our trek tomorrow."

Thimba realized how tired he was and decided to go to the back of the den. He stopped when he passed a puddle of water. He looked back in it and stared at his reflection, all he saw was a stranger looking back at him. He touched a paw to his scars again and let it remain there.

He heard one of the few lionesses there shift in her sleep and it sounded familiar to him. "Kula?" he called out into the darkness. He then mentally slapped himself. Kula wasn't here; she wasn't on his side anymore. He almost felt like crying because this was the first time he had felt truly alone but then erased such thoughts. _'There is no Kula anymore, there is no Jua, I am Thimba…And I have no sister…'_

-X-

**This was a difficult chapter to write. I felt like I was writing several different stories but I had to make sure they remained intertwined. Just so you know, if there were missing words in Kito's dialogue, those were intentional, he's young, can't have him speaking too much. I'm pretty sure many of you expected Nyota to be a hyena, now you know she's a buzzard. But who was this mysterious cheetah? What does Twitch want to talk to Timon about? And why does Hasani want to go to the Northern Kingdom? All of these questions will not be answered in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to feed me with reviews.**


	8. Rising Together Falling Apart

**Last Thursday through Friday, I felt as if I had a nasty cold and I was unable to breathe through one of my nostrils. It was a horrible feeling and I hope I never have to go through that again. Fortunately these only remained for a little while before subsiding. I have mid-year assessments this entire week (Actually only Wednesday to Friday) and I need to stay focused. But of course, writing will be my reward after each test. Wish me luck! Here is your gift from me to you.**

-X-

Kiara flinched back as Vitani gave a sudden yelp of pain. She had just lulled the cubs to bed and she was torn between her concern for her friend and her worry that her cubs will be woken up. Once she had confirmed that they would remain asleep, she turned to Vitani. "Are you alright? Is the cub…?"

"N-No…It was just another contraction, that's all. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about" assured Vitani. The darker lioness was clearly feeling sharp pain just like the other princess had when _she_ was pregnant. It had already been a few days since the rescue party had left and Kiara was already worried for everyone's well being.

"Maybe we should get Rafiki, just in case. He's slower with age now so if the arrival date does come earlier than expected…" Kiara trailed off.

"Trust me Kiara, I'll be just fine" smiled Vitani. Having Kiara fuss over her made her feel as if she actually had a sister, it was a pleasant feeling. "But maybe we could have him temporarily live nearby."

Kiara found this to be sufficient. She instructed Vitani to stay in the den and watch the cubs while she went to retrieve the shaman. The sun was setting as Kiara set off, halfway to Rafiki's tree, she bumped into her mate.

"Kiara? What's the hurry?" asked Kovu in a tired voice.

Kiara blinked to make sure she was seeing right. He looked worse than he had earlier this morning. But she decided she would deal with him later. "I'm just going to get Rafiki. With Vitani's due date getting closer, it'd be a good idea to have him live nearby."

Kovu nodded in agreement. "Knowing Vitani, she'd be tough enough to handle it. But you're right, you go back to the den and watch the cubs, I'll go fetch Rafiki."

"No, that's _my_ job. You should be getting back to the den to rest. You've barely caught any sleep since father and the rescue team left. You've got dark shadows under your eyes, you're moving really sluggishly, and your mane's all disheveled."

"I'm fine."

The tone of voice he had used when he said those two words clearly showed he was lying. Not to mention his voice was hoarse and it was obviously due to him yelling to get the attention of feuding herds. "That was hardly a convincing argument" stated Kiara blatantly. "You look awful and you need to rest."

"But what if something goes wrong? What if the dam breaks? What if the leopard clan overhunts? What if the giraffes and elephants get into another argument about food supply?" questioned Kovu in a panicked matter.

"Calm down" soothed Kiara gently. "You see, all the stress is getting to you. You're acting as if you're the only one with responsibility here. Tomorrow you are going to take a break, spend some time with the cubs. Mother and I will handle everything else."

Kovu finally took a few seconds to breathe. He couldn't help thinking how lucky he was having Kiara around, especially as a mate. "Thank you Kiara, I love you…"

"I love you too. Now get back to the den and go to sleep. That's an order" smiled the princess.

Her mate reluctantly complied. She watched his retreating form for a couple of more seconds before continuing her trot to Rafiki. It was already difficult enough to deal with two rambunctious cubs and worrying over the possibility that the older of the two might die but to deal with her mate's overworking problem was another to add to her long list of worries. She sighed deeply; hopefully her father and brother would get back soon.

Kiara suddenly froze when she heard a voice from nearby. It had come from a few yards away, behind a couple of tall rocks. It wasn't uncommon to hear conversation among the various creatures of the Pride Lands but there was something about their tone that was off. Hopefully they were unable to sense her presence. She crept close to the rocks and glanced over them.

There stood two male lions. They were completely unfamiliar and they definitely didn't look like Pride Land lions. She wondered if she should tell Kovu but decided against it. He had enough to worry about so it was a better option to tell her mother.

"So these are the famed Pride Lands…" commented one of the lions in a low voice.

"There's nothing special about these lands. They border an unforgiving wasteland" scoffed the other.

For rogues, they were awfully rude although the princess couldn't say she disagreed with them when she saw the Outlands in the distance. She crawled away from them and bolted off towards Rafiki's tree. For now she would do as she had promised and concern herself with the rogues later. Why did her list of worries just keep getting longer?

"How many lions do you think their pride holds?" asked the first rogue.

"From what I've heard, at least forty but more than half of them went to rescue this other pride in danger. It'll make hostile takeover that much easier" the other one smirked.

"We're here to search the area, not take it over."

"Don't be stupid; just look at all of the herds here. We'd be set for life!"

The first rogue rolled his eyes upon seeing his partner's lust for blood. He swore, this lion will be the downfall of their nomadic pride. "Let's go back before you decide to do something you'll regret" he growled.

The second rogue was bigger and much more threatening, he didn't look like the type of lion that would listen to him but he agreed anyway. But before leaving, he took one last look at Pride Rock in the distance.

-X-

"There it is. The largest hyena pack in the world" said Kopa in a hushed voice. "It seems to have gotten even bigger since I left though."

"That's because it has. Those lands just ahead used to be Coast Land territory, now they're part of the growing hyena empire" said Zahina. The tone of her voice suggested that she had already given up on this.

"It stinks here" muttered Kula bitterly.

"That's the scent of rotting meat" said Tama.

The rescue team was looking over a hill so that they could see their opponents in this battle. They knew that it was going to be tough but they weren't expecting the tremendous size of the pack they were up against.

"Maybe we should turn back. I mean, it's not like this pride is of any concern of ours. We shouldn't have to get involved" uttered one of the lionesses in a trembling voice.

"You can all go back for all I care. I'm staying to protect these guys" said Zahina. Her conviction was returning along with her determination. "I've had enough of watching my family suffer and I'm going to do something about it."

"That's the spirit! And here I thought all you majordomos were all wimps" snickered Tamina.

"What's the plan Simba?" asked another one of the lionesses.

"We should go and join Malka's pride. Zahina, could you tell us where they've taken refuge?" asked Simba.

Zahina nodded and began to fly south. The rest of them followed close behind. The sun had gone down by the time they made it to their destination. They were able to see a large group of lions moving around and none of them appeared to be hostile. One of the lions froze when he saw them. They all expected him to run away but instead, he ran towards them.

"Simba? Is that really you?" asked the lion when he came close enough.

"Malka! It's been so long!" greeted Simba cheerfully. They exchanged friendly hugs and the king of the Western Kingdom led them back to his pride.

"Zahina, I am so happy to see that your mission was a success!" smiled Malka upon seeing his majordomo. She returned the smile although his expression faltered suddenly. "I'm so glad you've returned, this means Jelani's death is not a complete sacrifice."

"The prince is dead?" said Zahina in shock. "But how can that be? A hyena saved me and I thought he was going to save him too."

"I guess that hyena was too late. The animal negotiator for the hyena pack came to us a few days ago and told us that Jelani was dead" choked out Malka. Suddenly, it was as if the full impact of the last few months had hit him and he dropped down weeping. "My mate and my son…They're both gone!"

"Jelani's gone?" whispered a shock voice. The voice belonged to Kopa who had been friends with Jelani when he had lived here. Malka wiped away his tears and stood up to look at the younger lion in the eye.

"Simba…You've returned" was Malka's reply.

"King Malka…I don't go by father's name anymore. My name is Kopa and I wish for you to refer to me as that from now on" said Kopa. He seemed to be unable to comprehend what was going on or what was happening at the moment. The only thing that was turning over in his head was the fact that one of his friends was gone.

"So you were the lost prince Kopa…" breathed Malka. "I don't know why I never saw it before. You're the spitting image of your father."

Kopa suddenly jerked his head upwards to look at the king with a shocked expression. Malka's smile was very misleading but his eyes said everything. He was trying to be strong for his pride but the truth was, he was just trying to escape his feelings. The sadness seen in his eyes was undeniable.

Simba felt a wave of sympathy wash over him, knowing what his fellow king was going through. He placed a comforting arm around him and led him away. "Tell me everything that's happened here. I need to know if I'm going to help you take back your kingdom."

The rest of the rescue party began to mix with Malka's pride. Pumbaa stayed near Kopa at all times, unsure of these lions' intentions towards a warthog like himself. Many of these lions didn't look like they had eaten a while and they were all staring at him hungrily. The shaman apprentice gulped nervously but he also felt pity for these hungry lions.

Before Timon and Tamina walked into the crowd of lions, Zahina came down and stopped them. "Tamina, your colony is living nearby for the time being. I think you and your friend should stay there. These lions are hungry and they might just react on primal instincts upon seeing you" said Zahina.

Timon looked over at the female meerkat and felt scared of what he saw. The strong and brave meerkat he had gotten to know over the past few months had been replaced with one that was frozen and fear was seeped into her eyes.

Timon placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched but relaxed when she had realized who it was. "Let's go in together" said Timon softly. Tamina gave him a small and fearful nod. Zahina led them towards the meerkat colony where the chief was most likely waiting for his niece to return.

-X-

Ed whimpered like a newborn. Two of the other hyenas were talking to him as if he was trash.

"Why the hell do we need to listen to you?!" spat one of the hyenas.

"Yeah, I don't care if you are the commander and hunting leader. You're completely useless. We don't need some half-brained dimwit telling us what we have to do" agreed the other.

"You can't even talk! You can't be any dumber than you already are!"

"Why does the matriarch even keep you around? You're nothing more than an extra mouth to feed."

"It's disgusting! You're just a filthy freeloader!"

The two of them continuously berated him with insults until a low growl silenced them. Ed knew that it hadn't come from his mouth. He saw Banzai there, growling threateningly at the two bothersome hyenas.

"What do you two think you're doing to my friend? He is your commander and you should both treat him with the same respect you give me" snarled Banzai. "I don't want to have to deal with the likes of scum like you."

"W-We're s-sorry L-Lord Banzai. We didn't mean anything by it. It's just, he's so mentally disabled that we thought he was incapable of getting the job done" trembled one of the hyenas. "We thought he would get in the way."

The other shakily nodded in agreement in an attempt to get away from their superior's wrath. "Yeah, I mean, we know he's a good friend of yours and all but he's just so stupid. We didn't think it was right for him to be commanding us."

Banzai eyes dilated with rage when he had heard the way they were speaking of his friend as if he wasn't even there. "If I ever hear you talk so badly of him ever again…I'll be sure to see to it that the both of you are decapitated and dead at my own paws" he growled.

The two of them had never seen Banzai so angry before and they knew that they would never stand a chance against an experienced fighter like him, despite the fact that he was old. "W-We're sorry!" they yelped simultaneously.

Ed's eyes widened when he saw the fearful expressions on the two hyenas. His mind immediately reverted to the days when he had seen that same expression in his reflection. The next thing he said surprised everyone. "Banzai, stop it!"

The room seemed to have frozen. It had been so long since he had heard his own voice and he wasn't sure it was even his own. The two hyenas were staring in shock but it was nothing compared to the surprise seen on Banzai's face.

"Ed…" he whispered. That was all he was able to get out before Ed ran out of the tunnel. "Ed, wait!" called Banzai as he chased his friend out of the cave. The two hyenas lay forgotten and they couldn't believe that Ed had actually spoken.

"I didn't know he could speak."

"I always thought he was mentally challenged."

"Well he's not." The two hyenas flinched at the new voice. It belonged to a female and it sounded very irked.

"M-Matriarch Shenzi! H-How long have y-you been standing there?" asked one of the hyenas.

"Long enough to know that you've been treating your commander badly" said Shenzi. She didn't look very angry, on the contrary, she appeared to be saddened even though her voice was laced with irritation. "You two shouldn't judge Ed before getting to know him. It's his choice not to speak, not some brain damage."

"Well, why does he choose not to speak?"

Shenzi walked around the den a bit. She glanced at the entrance where her two best friends were. She sighed and decided to tell these incompetent mutts the truth. Hopefully it would change their view on Ed.

"_When Ed was just a pup, he lived with very abusive parents. He wasn't part of the same pack as Banzai and I. His parents would hit him if he ever did something that remotely looked liked disloyalty or betrayal. They also argued a lot, Ed was able to provide solutions but every time he spoke out, they ignored his ideas and instead lashed out at him. Using him like a punching bag in order to take out their anger on each other."_

"Ed…" said Banzai, when he saw his friend staring out to the ocean. As usual, Ed was silent and didn't say a single word. All he did was give a weak and pitiful cackle that probably wouldn't even count as a cackle. "Come on Ed, look at me."

Ed reluctantly turned over and looked over at Banzai. He saw the sadness in him reflected in Banzai's eyes. It was just like back then, when they had first met. But it wasn't pity in his eyes; it was the feeling of understanding. Banzai understood, he was the only one that understood.

"_Whenever Ed spoke, he got hit. So he found it easier to never speak again or risk getting hurt. He always feared that what he would say would be the wrong thing to say and he ended up believing he was stupid. That's why he tried to fit in with that role, he continuously did stupid things because he believed that was who he was for the longest time."_

Banzai placed a comforting arm over his age-old friend. Even though they weren't from the same pack, they grew up together. Even though they were both only pups, they both felt like they were brothers. For them, that was enough to keep going.

"_But even without speaking, he was still hit constantly. One day he had enough and ran away from his pack. He just kept running until he found ours in the Elephant Graveyard. He was starving, thirsty, filthy, and half-dead when Banzai found him. Banzai took care of the guy knowing that the rest of our pack didn't take well to outsiders."_

Ed opened and reopened his mouth. It was like he was trying to say something but Banzai saw that he was too afraid to. So Banzai stopped him. "You don't have to say anything. I can understand you without words."

Ed reflected his brother's smile.

"_I found them one day. I was planning on going to tell the pack leaders but…I knew what it was like to hang out with an outsider. I hung out with the lion prince, Taka, almost every single day."_

_The two other hyenas gasped in shock. "Matriarch, you were friends with a lion?"_

_Shenzi nodded. "That's a story for another day though. Anyway, Banzai ended up introducing me to Ed and I ended up telling them about Taka. From that day on, we became the best of friends. Of course I got irritated at Ed from time to time; I guess that's why he's scared of me. But even when Banzai was irritated by him, he would always talk to him when no one else would. I had four siblings and I was never on good terms with any of them but Banzai and Ed...They were like true brothers."_

Ed looked up at the stars overhead. Banzai followed his gaze. The night sky was definitely beautiful tonight, and it reminded them that they weren't so far from home. Since no matter where you are in the world, the sky will always be there. Then again, they were already home, as long as they had each other.

"_Sometimes…I envy them" finished Shenzi with a distant smile._

-X-

"_So, what'd you want to talk to me about Twitch?" asked Timon._

_The colony chief took a deep breath and hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "It's about Tamina. You noticed how stiff she was back there?"_

"_Yeah, why is that? She's usually so easygoing and carefree. What could make her so tense? You know something?"_

"_Not much, but I want you to do me a favor."_

"_Sure, anything as long as it has nothing to do with giving up grubs."_

_Twitch chuckled lightly for a moment before becoming serious once more. "I want you to stay at Tamina's side at all times. Something tells me that she's going to need a friend to support her while you're visiting the Western Kingdom."_

_Timon found himself getting more curious at the amount of concern Twitch was showing for Tamina. "Yeah, sure, but why?"_

"_She's the niece of the colony chief there. Her uncle isn't exactly…meerkat of the year. He's…Well, different from parents or guardians here and I want to make sure Tamina is safe. Could you do that for me? I'm not asking as chief, I'm asking as a friend."_

_Timon was caught by surprise. As a kit, he never had any friends, but if he remembered correctly, neither did Twitch. They both shared a room as kits because of Max but they never had a proper conversation. It was always, greetings, farewells, or some other polite words. But now, it seemed as if Twitch was depending on Timon for something important. Timon found that he was doing the same. He was depending on Twitch to be chief in place of himself. They were both counting on each other without realizing it. _

_Timon smiled to himself, being the hero of the colony didn't automatically make him friends with everyone. Even if they were, they were only pretending. But Twitch wasn't like that, he was his friend. "You can count on me Twitch. I'll make sure Tamina is safe."_

"_I knew I could count on you Timon."_

Timon blinked to make sure he was seeing right. The main entrance to the colony of the Western Kingdom wasn't a hole in the ground. It was a tunnel in the side of the wall. Yup, this adventure was going to be different from the others alright.

Zahina had left them so they could go in by themselves. He noticed that Tamina was shaking in fear and her eyes were wide and scared. He entwined his fingers with hers and gripped her hand confidently.

She looked over at him. "I'm sorry…It must seem strange that I'm behaving like this. But I'm just not too sure if I have the strength to go in there. I don't want to go back in there" she whispered her last statement and she was on the verge of tears.

"It's okay. Everyone has to fear something. It's something I can definitely relate to. And if you don't have the strength, you can just share mine. You don't have to do this alone, I'm here with you. I won't let go of your hand…I promise."

"Thank you Timon."

Together, they fell into step together and walked into the tunnels. What they found surprised them both. Most of the colony had been waiting for them, but none of them looked too happy, especially not a particular female meerkat glaring at them.

"Timon, what are you doing here?!" she yelled angrily.

Tamina was surprised to see that someone here knew Timon. She looked over at her companion and saw that he had recognized this rude meerkat. "Trisha?" Timon gasped.

-X-

**Okay, so I lied, answers were provided for you. I hope that this chapter was good. I was actually hoping to prolong their arrival to the Western Kingdom, but then I thought, why wait? So they're here, what will their next move be? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Story of the Stars. Don't forget to review!**_  
_


	9. Bitter Reunions

**I'm fairly certain I failed my Digital Electronics, Trigonometry, and Chemistry exams. I'm not the best test-taker although, all of my classmates said it was difficult too. It's odd, back in eighth grade, I was top of my class, then I came to my high school and I feel so stupid compared to these intelligent people. I guess my brains were only there when I was closest to home. (My old schools were all my zone schools) No use moping, send me reviews to cheer me up a bit. Even if it's just to say 'I love it!' or 'I hate it!' I just want to know your opinion.**

-X-

"Trisha?" Timon gasped at the sight of this particular meerkat.

"Whoa, you two know each other?" inquired Tamina.

The meerkat classified as Trisha rolled her eyes as if Tamina had said something completely stupid and unnecessary. "I _wish_ I didn't know him. He's my idiot and failure of a brother" scoffed Trisha.

"Nice to know you haven't changed" muttered Timon bitterly. His expression of stark surprise was now replaced with one of irritation.

"Tamina, the chief wants to see you" called one of the meerkats sternly.

Tamina's fear returned almost immediately. She stiffly turned in the direction of where the chief's chamber would be. She gulped nervously and her hand unconsciously tried to grab Timon's. Timon complied and gripped her hand tightly with his own. The two of them were about go towards the chief's chamber when Trisha stopped them.

"He only wants to see Tamina, not you Timon" she ordered.

"No way! I'm not going to leave Tammy to go in there alone!" Timon retorted. "I don't know what kind of guy he is but I definitely don't think he's exactly the best guardian!"

"Timon, drop it! I have the entire colony to back me up and _Tammy_ is too scared to take on this colony. Not while her uncle is the colony chief" taunted Trisha snidely.

Timon knew Tamina, he knew that she would never back down from a challenge, not even if it was from a crocodile or a thousand hungry wild dogs. But when he glanced over at her, he saw that she wasn't even looking at any of the colony members. Because of her reluctance to glance at them, Trisha's smirk got wider.

"I…I need to do this alone Timon" Tamina finally said. She turned to him with the best faux smile she could muster. But even an idiot could see how hollow it was. "I'll be fine. Trust me on this…You can just wait here, catch up with your sister or something."

It took a few seconds but Tamina reluctantly let go of his hand. Before she went in, Timon gave her an encouraging hug. She nodded to him, took a deep breath, and went into the chamber where her uncle waited for her.

"Now was that so hard?" said Trisha in a mocking tone. "Anyway, go back to the old colony. You're not wanted here. Oh wait, you're not wanted there either!" Trisha was speaking every word with increasing venom and hatred towards Timon as the colony began to disperse to their separate chambers.

Trisha was expecting Timon to fight back, to yell, to get angry, but what he did instead completely took her off guard. Timon chuckled, he was beginning to laugh. "It all makes sense now" Timon laughed. "It all makes sense!"

"Wh-what are you babbling about?" she yelled. She was frustrated by Timon's response to her taunts.

Her brother only turned his head to her. She gasped at what she saw. He was smiling sinisterly and he had killer intent in his eyes. "I always wondered what kind of sick colony would accept someone like you. But now I see, you're in a colony that's as messed up as you are in the head" chuckled Timon.

Trisha bit her lower lip until a bled a little. The taste of blood wasn't very pleasant but it got rid of the awful feeling she felt in her stomach. She wasn't used to Timon fighting back like this. She was more used to the both of them fighting until he ran off crying to their mother. "What do you think you're talking about?! You don't know anything about me!" she raged.

"You had everything back in our colony; Uncle Max even considered leaving you as chief once he passed. Yet you gave it all up for a colony with probably the worst chief ever. Really says a lot, doesn't it?" Timon knew that he may have been crossing the line but it needed to be said. Oddly enough, everything he said was full of confidence.

Trisha attempted to hide her mortification with a cold smile to mirror his. "Everything? As if! You were Ma's favorite, Twitch always had Max's attention, and Manny always had the popularity. All I had to go on was being the 'perfect' meerkat. Making the best tunnels, collecting the best grubs, and always knowing the perfect escape route if the colony encountered a predator. But I was never the perfect child, you, Manny, and even Twitch were!"

Timon was surprised she even mentioned their brother. Manny was the middle child and he was always the popular one. Although like Timon, never the best at making tunnels, better but still not as good as others. Manny was pretty much Timon's only friend but he left the colony very early after a chief's daughter from another colony got betrothed to him. Currently, Manny was the chief of that colony and he couldn't be happier, the last time he visited was just a couple months ago for Max's funeral.

Timon's smile dropped and he was genuinely showing concern for his sister in his expression. "I thought you forgot about Manny by now. As a matter of fact, I thought you forgot about both of us."

"How could I? I guess I should at least be grateful that I wasn't a failure like you. I guess I should've known that you and Tamina would become jolly old buddies. You're both the perfect failures."

"You clearly didn't get the memo but I'm a hero in our colony now. Not everybody loves me but they at least treat me with respect. But you wouldn't even know the meaning of the word, you never respected anyone. Not even Ma or Uncle Max. You just decided to abandon the colony without telling anyone."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Maybe I won't but that doesn't mean I can't help you. Don't you even want to know what's been going on back home?"

"I don't care! I know what's going on. You're probably some hero like you said and Max is going to leave the colony in your hands. Ma is probably incredibly proud of you and never mentions me, the disappointment of a daughter."

"Actually, Max is dead." This statement was unbelievably blunt and easy for Timon to say that it was surprising. Trisha's eyes widened in shock as she slowly turned to look at her brother. "We would've invited you to the funeral but we had no idea where you were. And Ma talks about you all the time, how if you would only try to open up then maybe we could've been a real family. I kind of agree with her too. Now that I see what's been going on in your head."

Trisha looked away and began to walk to her own chamber. She didn't say another word to him and when she was gone, he was completely alone in this chamber. He sighed and leaned on the wall. He hoped Tamina would come out soon.

That wish came true sooner than he thought. She speed walked out of the chief's chamber with her head down so that her face could be covered in shadows. In the ill-lit tunnel it was difficult for him to see the tears running down her cheeks but he could hear the dripping sound that came from where she was.

Tamina just kept walking as if she hadn't noticed him or maybe she forgot he was even there. He grabbed her arm and she froze. She yanked her arm away and turned to yell at him but she stopped herself when she saw who it was.

Timon was stunned, Tamina's beautiful face had a bruise on her right side and her cheek was a little swollen. He cupped her face with his hands as he stared into her fear stricken eyes. He shook his head and embraced her tightly. "I am so sorry I wasn't there with you" he uttered.

Tamina bit her lip and slowly brought her arms around Timon as her tears freely rolled onto his shoulder. She never thought that coming back would be so painful, not physically; it was much more painful emotionally. She never told anyone about this, not that many of her battle scars were given to her in her own chamber. She always imagined that her bed of grass would be her deathbed, but now she knew, she could never come back. She could never leave herself vulnerable to that monster again. Not as long as she held on to this one meerkat, this one allowing her to share his strength. She needed it now more than ever.

"_Uncle…You wanted to see me?" said Tamina with as much confidence as she could muster. It was really difficult for her to keep her voice level when staring into the cold, dead eyes of the creature before her. _

_Her uncle just stared back for a long time. He finally inhaled and she felt herself involuntarily flinching from his sudden action. "Tamina…You're much too informal. I'm your legal guardian and the chief of this colony. Don't I deserve a better greeting from my only niece?"_

_Tamina felt sweat beginning to drip from her face. She couldn't stand to see that smile, that smile that never reached his eyes or any other part of his body for that matter. She was surprised her grandfather even left anything for him in his will._

"_Y-Yes, Uncle, I apologize for my rudeness" she stuttered. "It's just…Everything happened so quickly."_

"_You mean leaving without telling anyone? Yes, King Malka himself sent one of his assistant moles to tell us. I believe the only person you informed of you and that fur ball's departure was the shaman of this kingdom?" _

_Tamina felt anger rising within her. She was able to withstand him insulting her, she could even withstand the beating she received from him for assaulting one of the colony members, but she could never stand for him insulting Kopa._

"_He has a name!" She had shouted this without even thinking._

"_Yes, I believe it's Simba?"_

"_No…It's Kopa now."_

"_That is irrelevant. What is relevant is the plain fact that you betrayed this colony. For that, there must be punishment."_

_She felt her muscles reflexively tense up as she prepared for what was to come. "You're going to banish me?" She was hoping to insert this idea into that thick skull of his and hopefully into his brain._

_He chuckled as if she had said some peculiar joke. "No, I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under house arrest. You will not be leaving your chamber unless I say so otherwise."_

_She wasn't sure what came over her but she did know that she exploded at him. "WHAT!? I can't just abandon the pride; they need someone to help take down that hyena pack! And you and I both know that I'm just the meerkat for the job!"_

"_That right there might be the problem! You're too involved with those predators! You should just stay out of their affairs; you still have a chance to become colony chief when I pass. All you need to do is-"_

"_No! There is no way I would take your place. I'm not going to fall down the same pitiful hole as you so you can just forget it! I'm sick of this place and I'm definitely sick of you!"_

_The next thing Tamina saw was a flash of white spots. He had hit her so hard that it made her head jerk back which ended up causing whiplash. Not a pleasant feeling. Tamina touched her bruised cheek and sped out of the chamber, ignoring the yells and swears coming from her uncle._

Tamina woke up from her daydream. She touched her bruised cheek and felt fresh warm tears threatening to break through her eyes. It was then she realized that Timon was carrying her piggyback. "By now…the pride would've eaten and with…the help of the Pride Lands' lions, they…must all be full…so we don't have to…worry about getting eaten" huffed Timon.

Tamina let her head rest on Timon's back. "Thank you Timon…" Then as an afterthought she looked up to the night sky and whispered something so low he couldn't hear her. "I love you…"

-X-

"So this is the Northern Kingdom" stated Thimba.

The scene before them was more than he could have ever expected. The grass weren't as tall as the ones in the Pride Lands but it did appear greener. The enormous number of herds that lived there was also overwhelming. It was evident that it would be difficult to wipe out the predators' food supply here.

"I haven't been here in so long. It's more beautiful than I remember" commented Hasani as he continued to walk towards a cluster of hills.

Thimba ran to catch up with his superior. "Is Kanu's pride over there?"

Hasani nodded and turned to see all his followers staring at him intently. "None of you need to proceed any further than this. I am an old friend of Kanu, you may indulge in whatever you like. Whether it be meat, grass, or fruits."

Hasani was about leave them all behind when Thimba stopped him. "Is it okay if I come with you? I'd rather not be with those other guys."

Hasani remained silent for quite some time and Thimba was afraid that he might reject his company. But then the older lion smiled to him. "Sure, I could use a friend by my side. It's not that Kanu isn't my friend, it's just I haven't seen him in so long that I'm afraid I won't recognize him" chuckled Hasani.

"You really think of me as your friend?"

"Of course, to me, all of my followers are my friends, whether I had just met them or I've known them forever."

"But…You seem to be a little more attentive to me. Is there a reason for that?"

"There's something…broken inside of you. It kind of reminds me of myself. I want to make sure that you're okay as your life goes through such big transitions. I guess you could say that I want to help you the same way you're all helping me."

"But why me? Lots of your subordinates are broken in some way. So why is it only me?"

"You're…different…"

Thimba didn't find this to be a sufficient answer but decided not to look into it. It was clear that Hasani didn't plan on sharing his thought with him. Thimba wondered if Hasani knew more about him then he let on. It always scared him if others knew the truth about who he really was, but it seemed easier to accept the reality around Hasani.

"Well no one is the same" said Thimba in an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere that had fallen upon them.

"I wish everyone was. It would be so much easier then."

Hasani would've taken another step if a lioness hadn't jumped down from, seemingly out of nowhere, right in front of them. "Hasani, you've returned…" was all she said. She didn't seem very hostile and her body movements didn't imply any threat but there was a hint of malice in her voice. "King Kanu has been awaiting your arrival."

"Those are never good words" muttered Hasani but followed the lioness nonetheless. Thimba bounded after them close behind.

After a couple of minutes of walking, the trio finally reached the side of a cliff. There was an entire pride roaming around the giant rock formation. It was smaller than Pride Rock but the shape was similar…If Pride Rock was sticking out the side of an earthy wall.

"Incredible…" breathed Thimba.

The two male lions walking behind the unknown lioness noticed many of the pride members were whispering to each other and throwing dirty looks at the two of them. Thimba felt very uneasy under the glare of so many lions. If Hasani felt the same then he didn't show it.

The pride was silenced when a large lion stepped out from the main den. He walked down the steps of the promontory to meet the lions halfway. Thimba expected him to be happy to see Hasani but instead he was frowning.

"King Kanu, your majesty" bowed Hasani. Thimba immediately mimicked his actions in fear of appearing rude to a king.

"Raise your heads" Kanu sighed. He sounded very tired and he looked even more so. It was as if he hadn't gotten any sleep in years. "Hasani…I've received a message from the Pride Lands about your…disruptions. What happened during the two years you've been gone? Have you lost your way and become a rogue so fast or is there some ulterior motive to your misguided actions?"

Hasani placid expression never faltered but he clenched the dirt beneath his paws. Thimba noticed and he feared what might come next. "My actions were not misguided, I am just trying to create the Utopia you wanted…The Utopia _we_ wanted."

"The Utopia I always dreamed of can never be. It can never be perfect. And destroying a pride won't do anything but destroy the near-perfect Utopia this world already is" Kanu finally said. His frown had vanished and was now replaced with the image of a tired and concerned father.

"But it can!" argued Hasani. "All we need to do is erase all forms of monarchy there is. The corrupted Western and Eastern Kingdoms will be destroyed and we can create a new kingdom from the ashes. The Northern and Southern Kingdom can just merge with the one kingdom I aim for, a kingdom of peace and equality among all."

Kanu's frown reappeared and it was deeper than it was before. "This isn't peace Hasani! Even if your intentions are good, what you're doing will create the Third Pride War! It won't be any peace that I or any other lion desire!"

"You just don't get it! I thought you of all creatures would understand my view but now I see that you're as foolish as those other kings!" growled Hasani. "I thought you were a true believer of peace but you don't see that after the war will be a greater peace than none other before."

Many of the pride members were now yelling different forms of punishments that they wanted their king to dole out. Kanu was stunned by Hasani's outburst but it was clear he wasn't going to overreact. "I thought the exact same thing about you. But now I see you're as twisted as my father. I'm sorry to do this Hasani but…Guards arrest them!" ordered the king.

Hasani's pupils had already dilated in rage. He lunged at the king and had pinned him down to the ground. The guards reacted quickly to this and pounced at him. Thimba saw this coming and pushed Hasani out of the way. Thimba began running as fast as he could in the opposite direction, Hasani followed close behind.

The younger of the duo turned back when he heard the war cries of the different lions. Thankfully, none of them had pursued them any farther than a couple of yards before Kanu called them back. Thimba took a good look at Kanu and saw that he wore none of the expected expressions. Instead, he saw one of hurt like he had just been rejected or ditched by one of his best friends.

Thimba wondered if anyone had felt that way when he was gone. No, only Kula would anyway. Everyone would rather watch him rot in a hole somewhere. It hurt but he knew it was true. It hurt more when the one he loved would be among those lions.

"Are you okay?" asked Hasani.

Thimba blinked, he hadn't noticed that he was breathing heavily or that they had reached the border of the jungle again. Hasani's followers had chased after them when they saw them frantically escaping the Northern Kingdom.

"I should be asking you that question. It looked like you were going to kill him" panted Thimba.

Hasani looked away as if he was ashamed. "I would've. I will end anyone that gets in the way of my dream."

"I see…"

"What about you? You looked as if you had some sort of bad daydream."

"I sort of did."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, it was, uh, kind of personal."

"I can understand that."

Thimba was searching for something in Hasani's expression that gave away his indifference towards the subject but he found nothing. Was it true that Hasani cared for him or was he really just using him? He couldn't tell but he hoped it wasn't the latter. "What are we going to do now? We don't have Kanu's army to help out" said Thimba.

"It'll be fine…We have enough followers to do what we must. That is all that is necessary. Everything else will play itself out. But there has been a change in plans. It seems we will have to destroy the other two great kingdoms as well" said Hasani.

"Why must we destroy the Southern Kingdom?"

"If Kanu has changed his beliefs in peace then I can only assume that the rulers of the Southern Kingdom have done the same."

"About what you said earlier…How much do you know about me that you can so easily say that I'm different?"

"More than you want me to" Hasani admitted before turning to look in the direction of the Northern Kingdom. "The Third Pride War will begin, but the result will be true peace. And I will make sure Kanu sees it."

-X-

**Like the arrival to the Western Kingdom, I was expecting to prolong Hasani's group's arrival to the Northern Kingdom. Well who cares, it's over with! Hope you all enjoyed it and don't worry, I will explain what occurred during the First and Second Pride Wars later. Whether it's in this story or in the next one, I don't know. Leave reviews!**


	10. Planning Ahead

**Every time I compare this story with my favorites, I think, what am I doing wrong? This is because two of my favorites are sequels that are still currently being written and yet they have more reviews than mine. I admit, their stories are good but I'm still jealous. A little note, updates will be a lot slower for a while, I'm now occupying the living room so I won't have as much free or private time to write. Hope you guys are okay with that. Hope this chapter is good enough so you don't go breaking down my door.**

-X-

"Amazing!" gasped Tama at the sight of the ocean.

The water reflected the moon in the background and the night sky gave it an ominous feel to it. It gave them a sense of mystery and eternal beauty. Kopa seemed amused by their reactions to this sight which he had seen numerous times before.

"This lake is huge! I can't even see the other side" commented one of the Pridelanders.

"To be honest, we don't know if there's another side" chuckled Malka. "This isn't a lake, it's an ocean, and you can't see the other side because we don't know what's out there. If you keep walking along the shore, you'll never be on the other side of this vast body of water."

"What about this ground? The soil is so light and shifty, does anything even grow on this dirt?" asked Kula. Her curiosity was overpowering her rudeness from earlier.

"This isn't dirt of any kind. It's sand, sediment, broken down by the weathering of rocks and other earthy substance. The waves are strong and they break the ground here and replace it with sand" explained Pumbaa.

Everyone stared, stock still, at the warthog. The future shaman of the Pride Lands smiled sheepishly under all their stares. "Rafiki's been teaching me for quite some time now…" he explained vaguely.

"I remember my first visit here and the shocked reaction I had to the ocean and the beach. I had never seen nor felt anything more amazing" smiled Simba. But then his smiled faded when he remembered who it was that had brought him here.

Malka looked over at his friend and knew the feeling he was experiencing now. Losing loved ones from an unnatural death seems to run in the blood of kings. Kanu's grandfather was assassinated by a rogue and the heir to the current king of the Southern Kingdom was crushed in a landslide.

"I remember my reaction the Pride Lands" said Malka in an attempt to get Simba's mind off of the subject of his father. "When I had asked, where the ocean was and you looked at me funny, like I was this huge freak or something."

"But then we became friends" reminisced Simba.

Things were silent for a while as everyone continued to watch the waves lap at the shore. The rest of the pride from the Western Kingdom turned in for sleep. It had been a while since they slept on a full stomach.

Kopa turned to King Malka with full intentions of finding out what had happened while he was gone. "King Malka, what happened here exactly? Why did the hyenas break the peace treaty?" the prince asked.

"Well, they are hyenas, it should've been obvious to never trust them" scoffed Kula.

"Kula" Tama scolded.

Malka ignored the lioness's rude comment and turned his attention to Kopa. "They attacked about a week after you and Tamina had left. But they didn't strike the pride directly; they aimed for the hunting party. That's when…" Malka found it difficult to say her name without his voice breaking. "That's when the queen was killed. We found out quickly and we tried to talk it out but they wouldn't listen to reason. We don't know why they broke the treaty; we just know that they declared war on us. Our pride has diminished significantly as you can see and then Kamaria died later on. That's when Jelani ran off on his own…To get help. He didn't tell anyone except Chaka who told us after he didn't return."

"I should've told you all earlier" a voice sighed from nearby.

"Chaka, you're here! And here I was thinking you were gone too" Kopa remarked as he bounded up to his old friend.

"Hey Kopa…Sorry I wasn't here to greet you earlier. I was out spying on the enemy" said Chaka with a small and hollow smile. "I found out your real name when I heard the pride inside the cave talking about you."

"You're hurt" said Kopa suddenly. Chaka blinked and looked to where the prince was looking. The Coastlander saw that one of his hind legs was bleeding from a deep gash. He had forgotten about it when he saw a pride of unfamiliar lions speaking to his king. "Yeah, I cut myself earlier. No big deal…"

"Let me take a look" said Pumbaa. The warthog walked up to the lion and studied the gash for a bit. The sight and smell of blood was enough to make the poor animal faint but he stayed strong and went out to pick the right herbs to treat it with. "Infection hasn't set in but it's best we get it treated quickly before it does" said Pumbaa as he worked.

Chaka looked over at Kopa with a raised eyebrow. "Your shaman…is a smelly warthog?"

"Yeah…Don't worry he's perfectly qualified" chuckled Kopa sheepishly.

"This also means that he is off limits for food" added Simba.

When Chaka caught sight of Simba he bowed respectfully to him. "King Simba, it is an honor to have you fight alongside us."

"Raise your head." After Chaka did so, the king of the Pride Lands continued. "I hope to resolve this issue without having to resort to violence but if it comes down to it; my pride is willing to risk their lives for yours" said Simba.

"I never signed up for that" muttered one of the Pridelanders. The lioness next to her shushed her.

Pumbaa came back with the right medicinal materials and began to treat the wound. First he disinfected the injury and then wrapped it in bandages. All of this was done with a skilled…hoof.

"How's that? It's not too tight is it?" asked Pumbaa.

Chaka was impressed by the skill this warthog had as a shaman. "That's feels much better. Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's what I do."

"Chaka, what did you see when you were over there? Is there pack expanding?" asked Malka.

Chaka shook his head. "They seemed to have stopped. I think they've decided they're going to take a break to repair any damages done to their pack and then continue their assaults on us. This really isn't good; we already don't stand a chance against so many hyenas, so how can we win?"

"Then we have two options. Either we settle this dispute peacefully or we have to find some way to ambush them and kill matriarch Shenzi" concluded Malka.

Simba froze as he stiffly turned to the other king. "Did you just say matriarch _Shenzi_?"

Malka was a bit unsure of what to make of Simba's peculiar reaction to the hyena pack's matriarch's name. "Yes, Shenzi, that's the name of the matriarch" nodded Malka.

"You don't think it's the same Shenzi do you?" Pumbaa asked Simba.

"It's possible…I mean, we never knew what happened to her and the rest of her pack after they were banished" reasoned Simba.

"Wait, you're telling me that the hyenas we're up against are the same ones that were working for Scar all those years ago?" questioned Chaka in disbelief. "That's insane! If they find out you're here, they might tear you apart or something."

Simba sighed and looked to where hyena territory was. "He promised me they had changed…" Simba muttered quietly. It was quiet enough so the others couldn't hear him. If they did, many questions and controversy would arise. And that was something they didn't need right now.

_Almost every single hyena had fled the Pride Lands by now. The only ones that were left were Shenzi and the rest of her trio. "The three of you must pay for your crimes. Therefore I must banish all of you. You can never return to the Pride Lands" said Simba._

"_I understand" said Shenzi. After everything, she was just too tired to argue with the new king. It would just be easier to just leave and start life anew. But even as she said it, there was a hint of reluctance in her voice of leaving her home._

_She turned away from the king and walked away from the Pride Rock. Ed and Banzai followed close behind but when they were only a short distance away, Banzai turned and padded back to the king._

"_What is it Banzai?" asked Simba. Simba's body language betrayed the ease that his tone implied. It was clear that the lion had his guard up against the hyenas._

_Banzai did the last thing Simba expected him to do. Banzai bowed down to him in respect and held guilt all over his face. "I am sorry for everything we had put you through since you were cub. It was wrong of us and we have seen the errors of our ways" the hyena apologized without raising his head._

_Simba felt awkward since this was really the first animal to bow to him since he became king. Actually, this was the first animal to bow down to him since his return to the Pride Lands. "Raise your head Banzai" the king instructed. Banzai did as he was told. "Despite the challenges I faced after you chased me from my home, I learned so many valuable and important lessons. I think that what happened; happened for a reason, don't forget that."_

"_So you forgive us for what happened? You forgive us for being involved with your father's death?"_

"_I learned a long time ago that it is better to forgive than to take revenge. I blamed myself for my father's death for years but when I was able to forgive myself, I found the parts of me that were missing. It's not a matter of whether or not I forgive you, but rather if you forgive yourself."_

_Banzai was incapable to look at Simba's face without feeling guilty but the king's words had a strong impact on Banzai. "I don't know if I will be able to forgive myself but I will try. And I promise…Us hyenas will only do what is righteous and just from now on. You can count on it."_

_Simba smiled. "I will…"_

"A promise I couldn't keep…I've failed…" muttered Banzai with one paw in the salty water.

-X-

"Vitani, have you seen my mother?" asked Kiara. She just returned with Rafiki meditating on her back. Vitani had laughed when she saw the sight but became serious when she saw her sister-in-law's worried expression.

"I think she just came back with the rest of the hunting party. Oh, and Kovu's asleep so I suggest some quiet would be good" Vitani told her as Rafiki leapt off of Kiara's back.

"You seem very unsettled this evening, is something the matter princess?" asked the mandrill worriedly. Before she could answer, the shaman placed a hand on her forehead. Vanished and reappeared by her side to inspect it. Vanished once more and reappeared behind her and lifted up her tail.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kiara as she jumped away from him before he could do anything more than lifting her tail. "Rafiki, I'm fine, I just need to tell my mother something."

"Ah yes, I am sorry. At this age, I get very worried that one of you may be ill and die before old Rafiki" chuckled the shaman. "Also at this age, I must sleep much more." The mandrill walked out of the den and moved his way to one of the separate caves for his residence.

"What do you need to tell Nala?" asked Vitani once the old mandrill was gone.

"I…" she glanced at the sleeping form of her mate. Kovu had the cubs protectively in a ring formed by his arms. Her voice dropped down to a whisper so as not to wake them. "I saw rogues."

Vitani lowered her voice as well. "Rogues…Are you sure?"

Kiara nodded. "I'm worried they might've come here for hostile take-over because they heard that half the pride was gone."

"That could be…But why are you keeping this from Kovu? He's the temporary ruler, shouldn't he be informed about this?"

"He's worried as it is, we don't need to add to that stress."

"Yeah, you're right about that…"

"I'm going to go find mother, you stay with Kovu and the cubs. I'll be right back."

Kiara left the den with one more worried glance at her family. She found her mother easily with her light coat standing out in the dark. And yet, she's still the second best night huntress, shocking but true.

"Mom, could I speak to you in private?" asked Kiara politely as she approached the queen.

Nala noticed her daughter's uneasy body movements and shifty eyes so she knew this had to be important. Hopefully it wasn't something to be overly concerned about. "Of course" she replied.

The two lionesses found a more secluded area where they could speak away from listening ears. Kiara sighed softly before starting. "I was out to get Rafiki earlier and on my way there, I saw rogues."

Nala knew to be wary of rogues but most were usually lost souls looking for a place to stay. "Did they look dangerous or did they say anything that we might have to concern ourselves over?" asked the queen.

"Not really…I'm not even sure if they're hostile but…I'm worried mom" sighed Kiara.

"No one ever got hurt from being too cautious…" said Nala before adding more to herself. "At least that's what Ma's motto is."

"Well Kovu has! He's driving himself out of his mind by being too cautious. It looks like he's going to just die from exhaustion!"

Nala suddenly came to a conclusion. "Ah, now I see what this is about. You're not concerned about these rogues; you're concerned about Kovu. You're afraid he's pushing himself too hard."

"Mom, what am I going to do? He won't take a single minute to relax."

"Calm down…Tell you what, Kovu is going to take tomorrow off. We'll ask Vitani to keep an eye on him to make sure of that. She'll also watch the cubs while you show me where you saw the rogues. After that, leave everything to me and you'll be relaxing along with the rest of your family…minus me."

Kiara took in another deep breath. "Thank you so much mom. How are you able to deal with all of this so easily?"

"Simple, your father was worrying over every little thing when he became king. What I'm telling you is similar advice to what Sarabi told me. I'm only passing on knowledge from one queen to another" smiled Nala.

"I really wish I could've met grandma…Is there anything else she told you that could be helpful to me in the future?"

"There is one thing. The strength of a kingdom does not lie with the king but with the queen. The king only symbolizes the nature of the kingdom, whether it is good or evil, the queen symbolizes the stability. If the animals see the queen is troubled or panicked then they will feel the same. You need to keep calm if the kingdom is to work efficiently."

Kiara listened intently to her mother's - her grandmother's words. She had never thought of being queen this way before and it put the whole kingdom in a brand new light. She now knew that the role of a queen was just as important as that of the king, if not more, the princess smiled.

-X-

"Here's what I was able to find out" said Chaka. He drew out a map in the wet sand with a claw. He marked where the most hyenas were posted and where the matriarch usually slept or positioned herself. "It seems that there are no blind spots between any of the guard posts so if it comes down to war, we may have to fight our way through the post with the least hyenas."

"But we don't want a fight" reminded Kopa. "Where are the most reasonable hyenas posted? The ones that are willing to take us to see the matriarch so we can discuss a new peace treaty."

"The most reasonable of the hyenas would be the negotiator but we haven't seen him since he told us that Jelani was dead" said Malka.

"Are we sure this is the same Shenzi and her hyenas? It seems much too organized and planned out" pointed Zazu.

"Maybe she grew a brain while she was away" muttered Kula.

"I think our best strategy is to be direct. Demand to see the matriarch and don't take no for an answer" suggested Simba.

"Why can't you guys just leave the kingdom? You know, live to fight another day. You can gather some other prides to help out and then take back your kingdom" said Tama. "Or escape completely and start anew."

"We can't. The only means of escape are either by the beach or the way you guys came here. But we can't go the same way you guys came in" said Chaka. "The distance is too far for the elderly, young, and sick. There are too many of them to transport."

"And the beach is an even worse option. Not only is the distance too far but we'll never be able to make it to freedom before high tide" explained Malka. Noticing the pridelanders' confused expressions, he continued. "High tide is when the sea level rises and floods the coast."

"Ohhhhh."

"We'll put it to a vote. All those in favor of directly going to the matriarch, say 'Aye'" said Simba.

A unanimous "Aye!" came from a large majority of the creatures.

"Hey! What's with all the 'aye'-ing?" asked Timon. He came out from behind a bush with Tamina who was fast asleep on his back.

"We just agreed on a plan for tomorrow" replied Tama. "It's nothing major or anything like that."

"What happened to Tammy?" asked Kopa. He walked over to his foster parent and his eyes widened at the sight of the large bruise on her cheek. He knew that there were hyenas roaming everywhere but he didn't think they'd run into trouble so quickly. "Who did this to her?!"

Timon was just about to tell him when he hesitated. Tamina told no one about her family life, he knew this because even when he tried to know more about her family, she'd just change the subject. It was clear she wasn't ready to tell others the truth about her. That she was just like them, with a weakness.

"She, uh, I stupidly woke up a hyena that was sleeping near the border and Tammy protected me. The hyena was about to get a blow in but then…POW! The girl took down that dog like it was a newborn pup!" Timon said not so casually. "After the visit she got tired so I'm carrying her back."

Kopa raised an eyebrow at the superfluous explanation but decided to brush it off. He knew Tamina could take care of herself. "Well, thanks for taking care of her I guess. Just to be sure, Pumbaa, would you mind?"

Pumbaa nodded and led his friend to a secluded den away from the predators. These were the warthog's temporary living quarters but now it's going to have to accommodate for two others.

"I think it's time for us to turn in as well" Simba yawned.

"Sounds like a good idea…Tomorrow we'll set out to do negotiations with the hyenas" said Malka before adding in a mutter. "I just hope it doesn't all boil down to a blood bath both sides will regret."

-X-

**I didn't realize the amount of time I would actually have on the computer. Apparently, my sister hates me typing more than she hates fanfiction itself. Thankfully, whenever I have computer homework, I always type a little without her knowing. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and don't forget to review! Until we meet again!**


	11. Run Away

**I'm back with a new chapter! This one may seem irrelevant at the moment but I decided to might as well get it over with. Anyway, I'm sure a few of you are wondering what happened during the first two Pride Wars and when they happened, well the next two or three chapters will explain it all…I hope. Enjoy!**

**P.S. Special thanks to T5Tango. The OC Jolina belongs to her and the story I'm using here is very different from hers. If you haven't read her stories then you've been missing out. **

-X-

_Mohatu looked behind him at the small pride of lions that he had gathered. They were all tired, hungry, and thirsty from walking. It was hard to believe that he had only been walking for a little below a month and since then he had met up with the Desert Pride, gained the trust of a few rogues, and now he's joined up with the Oasis Pride as well._

"_Uncle, I'm hungry" a small voice mewed next to him._

_Mohatu looked down at the one month old cub. He was his nephew, Hondari, for some peculiar reason, his older brother told Mohatu to take his nephew with him. All his brother told him was that Hondari was important to some prophecy or some other shaman mumbo jumbo like that._

_The large lion sighed and took one more look at the diverse pride. The Desert Pride was made up of all dark-colored lions while the Oasis Pride had contradicting light fur. The rogues varied in size, age, and color. But one thing they all had in common was hunger. He never expected that running away from home would be so difficult._

"_I agree with the kid, I'm starved!" complained a lion from the Desert Pride._

"_Oh, suck it up! Like the rest of us aren't!" snapped an Oasis Pride lioness irritably._

"_Nooo, we're all living in luxury" a former rogue retorted sarcastically._

_This wasn't good. No one had gotten much sleep so everyone was at least a little bit frustrated that they hadn't reached the 'promised land'. If this kept up then a separation or even bloodshed may occur, and that was something Mohatu just couldn't deal with right now._

"_I know we're all tired and hungry but we need to keep moving. The sooner we move the sooner we reach the land my brother promised me" tried Mohatu. His voice came out a little more desperate than he intended for it to. "Please, just bear with me."_

"_And how do you even know if your brother was even telling you the truth about this 'land of beauty and wonder?'" lashed out a Desert Pride lioness._

"_Yeah, you and he are princes of your homeland. How do you know that he just wanted you gone so he could take the throne?" asked another Oasis Pride lioness._

'Great, they finally agree on something and it's against me. This is so infuriating!' _Mohatu thought angrily. "I know my brother; he would never do something like that. Besides, he's already the shaman of the Southern Kingdom; he doesn't need nor want to be king. And why would he tell me to take his son with me?" _

_This only resulted to everyone's breaking point. They all began to argue with each other, although many of the statements were probably directed at their leader. Mohatu had been able to settle every single fight before but this one was going a bit too far. He wasn't sure if he could-._

"_Why is everybody yelling?" asked Hondari._

_Mohatu looked down at his nephew and couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to be as naïve and ignorant as his nephew. "We're all just exhausted and hungry."_

"_Then they can just take a rest in the warm grass and hunt the wild impalas" chimed Hondari._

_"Well-" Mohatu started before the full effect of his nephew's words struck him. He froze for a second and then ran ahead of the group and saw…grass! There was grass! And herds! And some strange giant rock formation in the distance…But there was grass and herds!_

_Mohatu couldn't help smiling and then turned back around. He ran back to the group and roared to catch their attention. "Everyone, come with me! I'm sure you'll be happy to see what my nephew has found!"_

"_Is it a buffet of my favorite herbivores? Because if it's not then I'm not interested" complained a former rogue._

"_Well, as long as you don't mind chasing after your buffet then you should be very interested" smiled Mohatu. He took Hondari by the scruff of his neck and led them to their new home. _

_Everyone gasped at the sight of the eastern land. It was exactly like how it was described by Mohatu and then some. "I call the zebra!" shouted one of the Desert Pride lionesses._

_They all rocketed off with their hungry stomachs and happy smiles to the food options of their choice. The cubs and younger adolescents stayed with their leader. Mohatu couldn't help chuckling at the sight of grown lions behaving like excited cubs. After so long, they had finally reached the land of their dreams._

_After a couple of minutes or so, a group of Oasis Pride lionesses came back dragging a wildebeest carcass and they dropped it off in front of Mohatu. "What's this?" he asked._

"_It's for you" said one of the lionesses._

"_We wanted to apologize for our obnoxious behavior. You were the one that led us here and we were constantly complaining" added another._

"_And our new home needs a king so we nominated you. And…It's tradition that the king takes the first bite of the kill."_

_Mohatu was taken aback but it seemed like his nephew had been expecting it. "M-me? King? But…I don't know, it sounds like a lot of responsibility. Why can't one of the pride leaders be king, they know more about ruling than I do."_

"_They only know how to rule a small minor pride. You grew up as a prince; you learned how to rule the Southern Kingdom. You are the best option. And both leaders from the two prides agreed as well."_

_Mohatu was still standing there, dumbstruck. He glanced over at his nephew who seemed to be looking at him with these hopeful eyes. "Hondari, what do you think? You seem to want me to be king…But why exactly?" he asked._

"_I saw it in the stars!" piped up Hondari._

_The lionesses glanced at each other as if expecting one of them to have the explanation to Hondari's odd statement. Mohatu was the least confused but it was still puzzling. "You're saying the Great Kings of the Past told you this?" inquired his uncle._

_Hondari nodded enthusiastically. "I heard it from great grandpa! The king of the Southern Kingdom will not continue with your lineage but you will be the start the Eastern Kingdom."_

"_The Eastern Kingdom?" questioned a lioness with a wary expression._

"_There is no Eastern Kingdom" said another. "It's obvious you were just dreaming, hallucinating, or some other strange thing."_

_Mohatu shook his head to show he disagreed with them. "Hondari said that I will _start_ the Eastern Kingdom. This means that this place will be the fourth of the great kingdoms, the one my brother mentioned. I get it now! He told me that my destiny didn't belong at the Southern Kingdom, that it was somewhere else…A place where I would start something great."_

_It was clear that the lionesses were skeptical but it also reassured them that everything would be okay. Somehow, despite the farfetched idea that a spirit spoke to a cub and a lion could predict the future, it also gave them a sense of safety. _

_The leading lioness of the Oasis Pride stepped forward. "Then we are ready to follow you through anything. If all this is true, and I'm not saying it is, but if it is…Then we will put our faith in you…King Mohatu."_

_The band of lionesses bowed down to their new king. Mohatu was taken aback but he slowly became adjusted to it as the rest of their new pride came and bowed. He smiled to his subjects, the start of a new kingdom…The Eastern Kingdom, no, the Pride Lands. _

-X-

_Word got around quicker than any of them thought. Within one month of time, all of the other kingdoms were informed of their newest member of the Great Kingdoms. Although two of the three Great Kingdoms did not acknowledge this since it was unheard of for a new kingdom to just declare itself as a Great Kingdom. Already the king of the Southern Kingdom aimed to enlist his son's kingdom to assist them in the war._

_Mohatu sighed, wondering how much more of this he could take. He found this new kingdom hoping to avoid conflict with other prides and kingdoms, but it seems conflict has found him once more. He looked down at the majordomo his father sent, a bird he had known his whole life._

"_Let me guess, my father wants me and my pride to help him win this war" droned Mohatu. Even though he knew this was going to be the first of many, he still felt as if he had gone through this conversation dozens of times._

"_Your majesty, I do not wish for you to be so frustrated with your father. He just wants to makes sure that his pride is safe from the harms of this war" said the majordomo._

"_Well you can tell him to forget it. I want to protect my pride as well and I don't plan on endangering that and being a hypocrite by sending them out onto the battlefield."_

"_And I understand, but it is your duty as the Southern Kingdom prince to-."_

_Mohatu shook his head as if he couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Prince? I am king of the Pride Lands…King of the Eastern Kingdom. I no longer hold the title of prince of the Southern Kingdom."_

_The majordomo wilted like a dying flower. Mohatu knew he was being harsh but he knew that his father only responded to force and an assertive attitude. Kindness wouldn't get him very far. The small bird nodded and flew back to his homeland._

_The king of the Pride Lands sighed. It was getting increasingly more difficult to handle every little problem. Even the other animals began to look up to him as king and they all respect him. It was a little bit shocking how fast this all happened._

"_King Mohatu!" called a lioness urgently as she ran up to him. "A rogue lioness was sighted at the western border."_

'Another rogue?' _"Is she hostile?" _

"_Well, no…Even if she was, she wouldn't be able to do much to harm us."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She collapsed. Once we converged with her she just crumpled to the ground. Judging from how she looks, I'd say she hasn't had a decent meal in days."_

_Mohatu nodded to show he understood. He instructed the lioness to meet with the hunting party to get at least a leg so that they could give it to the lioness. Once that was done he went to meet up with the group of lions with an unfamiliar lioness on one of the male's back._

_The rogue was gently placed onto the grass in front of Pride Rock, the odd rock formation that they had decided to make their home. Despite the dirt in her fur, the claw marks, and the sunken skin, she had a very fair face._

_Hondari peeked out from under his uncle's legs to see this new lioness. He left soon after to gather various herbs to help with her injuries, accompanied by one of the lionesses. He'd been learning different things from the wisest animals in the Pride Lands so that he may follow in his father's paw steps and become a shaman. _

_Mohatu carefully rolled the rogue over so that he may have a better look at her face. The first thing that caught his attention was how fast her eyes snapped opened and the next thing he knew, she swiped at him with the intention to kill._

-X-

_Every muscle in Jolina's body ached. To think that running away from home would be this difficult. She scanned her surroundings once more, nothing but desert. Her vision began to swim but she knew she had to stay strong. So far, she had passed by a battlefield where a fight between the Northern and Western Kingdom broke out and a band of hostile rogues._

_Jolina wondered how much farther she could run. She bent to her side and licked the blood off of her recent claw marks. They were made by a rogue she had encountered only an hour ago. She didn't kill him, she didn't have the heart to despite what he had tried to do to her but it broke her ability to trust others. _

_She didn't know what to do now. She had been running in random circles for about two months and it wasn't getting any easier._

_Just when she was about to give up and surrender herself to the buzzards flying overhead, she caught the familiar scent of gazelles. At first she wondered if her senses were playing mind games with her but then her paw touched grass._

_Grass! Her paw touched grass! Her other senses may be able to trick her but her touch couldn't. It was the unmistakable feel and scent of grass!_

_She blinked and saw the scene ahead morph. It had changed from the desert to lush grass, masses of herds, and a huge water hole! Jolina had never been happier for a change in scenery._

_Before she could stumble to the water beckoning for her, a threatening voice threw her off. She jerked her head around to face a large group of lion and lionesses, all with varying in pelts which was unusual for a single pride._

"_Who are you, rogue?" asked the leading lion._

_Jolina's vision began to swim once more and everything went dark around her. But the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the change from caution and defensiveness to worry in the lions' expressions._

-X-

_Mohatu saw the claw coming before realizing it. He evaded swiftly and the rogue lioness jumped to her paws. She couldn't even look threatening with the bags underneath her eyes and her labored breathing._

"_Stay away from me!" she snapped._

_While the rest of the pride saw her as hostile and dangerous, Mohatu saw something different. He could see the fear in her eyes. She wasn't here to hurt any of them, she was afraid of them. Maybe it was from the stress, or maybe it was because of how pretty this lioness was, but Mohatu found himself sympathizing with her. But he also saw something familiar about her, like he had met her once before._

"_It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" he said softly and slowly. "You just need to cooperate with me here. We can take you back home."_

_The rogue lioness seemed to calm down a bit but her muscles were still tensed up. She shook her head furiously. "No! You can't take me back there. You just can't!"_

_There were murmurs coming from the pride, it seemed they all had the same thought. They were all thinking that this lioness may be a little crazy. Once again, Mohatu saw different. _

_The king saw that she wasn't lost or even chased away because of this war. She had run away from home for a reason too. Whatever that reason may be, she desperately wanted to avoid it. "Calm down. You can stay here."_

_A ring of controversy erupted from the lions. They all made their own arguments and protests of letting a strange lioness stay there. And Mohatu knew that they were all right. There were possibilities that this lioness was a spy that was plotting to destroy their pride and then take the rest for soldiers of war. But there was just something different, this lioness was honestly scared of this place and she was clearly starving. There was no way he could deny her of staying._

_The lioness glanced over at the narrowed eyes of the suspicious lions. She turned back to the king and shook her head again. "I can't stay…Not if everyone here doesn't like me. Besides, I don't want to trouble you with my presence."_

"_Stay" he repeated. "We won't hurt you…I swear it on my honor as king of the Eastern Kingdom."_

_The lioness searched him for anything that betrayed his kind words. When she came up with nothing, she found herself too weak to stand. She fell into his mane and he helped her stand upright. "I'm sorry…" she muttered weakly._

_Mohatu saw his nephew come back with a couple of various herbs in his mouth. His escort had a makeshift bowl made of leaves holding water for the rogue. The lioness from earlier came back with the leg of a wildebeest from the hunting party. The king returned his gaze to the resting rogue. "Things are going to be just fine…" he whispered._

-X-

"_Joli…You in there?" asked Mohatu. This had to be the third time he was visiting her today. For others, it would be annoying, for her, she thought it was sweet and considerate._

"_Yes I'm here Mohatu" Jolina chuckled as she came out of the cave. She's been here for at least a whole month now and the change in her was incredible. She had gone from a dirty, starved rogue to a beautiful and full lioness. There were still doubts about her so she still stayed in a separate den but she had learned to trust this pride. Just not enough for her to tell them how she ended up the way she did._

"_Those injuries are almost gone now" he commented. She looked at her side and saw the claw marks were only faint shadows. This was all thanks to time and Hondari's herbs. It was rather impressive for a cub to show this much capability as a shaman._

"_Yeah…I guess they are."_

"_Are you ready to tell me how you got them in the first place?"_

_Jolina looked away from him and shook her head. "No…No I don't think I am."_

"_Come on" he urged. Mohatu took a step closer and she took a step back. This always happened, despite the fact that she trusted him; she wouldn't let him near her. He hadn't touched her since that first day. The only lions in the pride she would allow physical contact with were the lionesses and cubs._

_Mohatu wondered if she was afraid of males for some reason. To test his theory he took a large risk. He swiftly stepped towards her and stroked her forearm gently._

_She immediately did as he had anticipated. She jumped away as if she was just burned and backed herself to the corner. She looked at him like he was some horrendous monstrosity that wanted to eat her alive._

"_I-I'm sorry" she stammered._

_Mohatu shook his head. "No I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that. I know you don't like physical contact."_

"_It's not that…" she sighed. Jolina looked over Mohatu's shoulder to see if there was anyone around to eavesdrop. "…I ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage my parents had set up for me. A couple for weeks later I met a rogue. He was hungry and crippled so I took care of him. Whenever I caught food, I gave him the majority of it. When it came time for us to part ways…He wanted me to mate with him…I declined of course but then…It turned out he was lying about being crippled and he jumped me. He wanted to force me into letting him use my body for his own lustful desires. I escaped before he did anything and then I ended up here."_

_Now Mohatu understood why she was so afraid to let any male get close to her. He approached her slowly and cautiously. He let his body touch hers. She flinched but this time she didn't retreat from his touch. Instead she found herself falling deeper into his thick mane._

"_I ran away from my home because of an arranged marriage as well. My father wanted me to marry a princess from another land so that her pride could be a helping paw in this war. All he cares about is winning…He doesn't care for my thoughts or feelings" admitted Mohatu._

"_I guess we have a lot more in common than we thought…My dad wanted me to marry just for the protection from the war that the larger pride offered" said Jolina. "I never even wanted to get a mate. I always believed that getting a mate would make you a fool."_

"_Why?"_

"_My mother fell in love with my father and they ended up as mates due to a betrothal. She got what she wanted only to have him have several lovers. He slept with countless lionesses and I had to stand back and watch as my mother deteriorated from the inside. It was awful…"_

"_I am so sorry…"_

"_It's fine…I don't think this is true for every couple but I just don't want to end up like my mother did."_

"_There's a simple answer. One shouldn't get married in an arranged marriage or a betrothal…You should only get a mate if there is love involved. True love is when both mates can truly become one."_

"_Do you think I'll find this true love one day?"_

"_I know you will…And when that day comes, I hope that it's the most happiest moment of your life."_

"_Thank you Mohatu…For everything."_

-X-

**It is so hard to sleep in a living room! The next chapter may still take some time. The only reason why this chapter was updated a little sooner than others is because my sister was out of the house for four to five hours so that gave me the chance to type this up. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review!**


	12. Pumbaa Vision

**Wow, this took a lot longer than I had expected. I guess my thoughts on how this story will play out are kind of vague. I bet some of you guys thought I had given up. Anyhow, I worked hard on this chapter so I hope you guys like it. Read, enjoy, and review.**

**P.S. Anybody else heard Demi Lovato's new single, **_**Heart Attack**_**? I just wanted to say that it has to be one of her best works and was my most favorite song for a while. You should all check it out, even if you aren't a Lovatic, I'm almost sure you'll fall in love with this song just like I did.**

**P.P.S. Finally got my new room and I must say that it's not half bad. But don't expect things to get back to how they normally did because I need to get used to it and relax a bit. But the updates following the one after the next one will most likely be quicker than recent ones. Got that? I'm not going to explain it again…**

**Finally, I got a long review from a guest and I can't communicate with him through PM so I'll just tell him here. Yes, Hasani is messed up but he's trying to reach peace through war, it's a contradicting statement but this is just like Napoleon in our world. Napoleon wanted a world where everyone was equal and he believed that the best way to do so was by force. Trisha did come out of nowhere, she was never mentioned before those two chapters but she plays a slightly important role in this story and later ones so, you know. That's it, enjoy. (Man, this was super long).**

-X-

"_The stars are so beautiful tonight" Jolina sighed peacefully as she lay on her back next to Mohatu._

"_They sure are" chuckled Mohatu. "Hey…Have I ever told you about the story of the stars?"_

_Jolina thought long and hard about it. It certainly rang a bell but she wasn't sure if she remembered correctly. "No, I don't think so" she finally replied._

"_Well it's a story that's been passed down in my family from generation to generation. And every other royal family of the other great kingdoms know the story as well" started Mohatu. "You see, it's a legend that states that all the Great Kings of the Past becomes a star after they die. They are there for us all the time and will guide us if we are ever lost. The stars are also guides to our destinies. They show us where we belong and who our lives are intertwined with…One day I'd like to join the Great Kings of the Past and lead my future children through their lives."_

_Jolina raised a curious eyebrow. "You honestly believe that? To me, it just kind of sounds unrealistic…Or like a fairy tale that adults tell cubs to get them to fall asleep." __Jolina immediately regretted her choice of words. She didn't want to offend his traditions or history but Mohatu chuckled lightheartedly instead. _

"_Yeah, it does, doesn't it? But I've always felt like someone was out there watching out for me. Maybe I'm crazy or maybe I just want to believe in it but I do know one thing for sure. It gives me hope and faith…And when has that ever hurt anyone?" smiled Mohatu._

_Jolina's mouth hung open a little before she closed it and blushed. She shied away from his tender and warm smile but for only a moment. "How long has it been since I've lived here?"_

"_Just a couple of months."_

"_It feels like forever. I already feel so much at home with you and this pride."_

"_I'm glad you like it."_

"Love_ it…I especially love…" Jolina stopped here as she gazed into Mohatu's eyes._

"_You love what?" he asked softly. He stared right back into her amber red eyes._

"_I…love…" She broke his gaze and stood up quickly. "…The view from the peak of Pride Rock! It's amazing and incredible! You can see for miles!"_

_Mohatu chuckled and smiled. Jolina couldn't help thinking how hollow it seemed and how his eyes showed signs of disappointment. "I have to agree with you there…It's late, we should get some sleep" said the king._

_She nodded. "Yeah…Sure…"_

-X-

_Hondari yawned sleepily as he stared at his reflection in the water hole. Every day he had to wonder if he was actually seeing it right. It felt like only a short time since they've been here but he's grown so much. He patted the tuft of hair on his head that was the beginning of his mane. He couldn't even smile at it; all he kept wondering about was why his father had wanted him to go with his uncle. It just didn't seem like good parenting to him, even if there was some sort of prophecy behind it._

_He sighed heavily and walked a long distance towards a large tree. He's been calling it the Tree of Life and going there so that he could spend some time alone. The only other person that knew of this place was his uncle. _

_He stared at the bark and the drawings he made on it. He discovered how to make paint and created images of Mohatu standing on the peak of Pride Rock. It was a good use of his time but he was worried that his image might have to be placed on this tree as well._

_If there is no direct heir from Mohatu's lineage then he is next in line and he preferred to be the shaman rather than a king. Most would think he's crazy or stupid, but he just enjoyed medicine and star reading more than ordering around subjects._

_Hondari remembered some stories Mohatu told him of his grandfather, King Simba, who was known to be the greatest king in Southern Kingdom history. Mohatu told him that Simba was very wise and was the only king to ever fill both the roles of ruler and shaman. Wise and powerful, he was always willing to help anyone in need of it. "Oh grandpa Simba…What am I going to do?" he muttered. _

_He wasn't expecting an answer of course so it surprised him when he was answered. A breeze blew by him, carrying leaves from the Tree of Life. Hondari watched as the leaves led his gaze towards Jolina in the distance._

_The pre-adolescent lion finally gave a huge smile. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Perfect…"_

-X-

"_I'm sorry, what?" asked Mohatu. He was in the middle of patrolling the borders when his nephew had run up to him with some peculiar suggestion._

"_I said, 'Why don't you and Jolina do something special together sometime?'" repeated the young lion enthusiastically._

"_Now what gave you that idea?" the king asked._

_Hondari knew that the subject _should_ be danced delicately around so that meant that he had to be as hard-hitting and as non-delicate as possible. "Well…You're such a bore, you're kind of anti-social, and if you don't find a mate then you're going to die alone. It should be soon too, you're not getting any younger you know."_

_Mohatu paused, giving his nephew a stony stare and Hondari realized that he might've crossed the line. Thankfully, Mohatu wasn't the type of lion that would lose his temper. "I appreciate the fact that you're looking out for my well-being and my social life, but trust me; I'm not going to die alone. I have you and the rest of my pride" reassured Mohatu._

_His nephew sighed exasperatedly and then muttered darkly under his breath "Why do you have to be so difficult and stubborn?"_

_The king quickly jerked his head over his shoulder to look at Hondari only to find a post-cub lion with a lying smile pretending like he had said nothing. _

"_What did you say?"_

"_Nothing."_

_Mohatu sighed deeply, he was able to guess what this was really about. "This has nothing to do with my social life, does it. This is about you and who is going to inherit the throne when I'm gone, isn't it?"_

_Hondari's head drooped, of course his uncle would be able to see right through him. "Well…Yes, but I also think that you and Jolina get along really well, more so than 'just friends' are supposed to. I just want you to be happy."_

"_I_ am_ happy, with everything the way they are now."_

"_But I'm not!"_

"_Hondari…"_

"_No, I don't want to be king, uncle! It's not that I don't want to deal with the pressure or anything, it's just that I'd rather be a shaman. But unlike grandpa Simba, I know I'm incapable of handling the two jobs at the same time so I just want to focus on one!"_

"_I never said that you were going to be king, only if it comes down to it. Hondari, I want you to think, I'm still fairly young, not very old, I still have plenty of time to have a cub of my own."_

"_But what if something happens to you? What if the war comes here and you…"_

"_I won't…I promise."_

_The two of them continued their walk in silence before Hondari decided to speak up again. "Why don't you and Jolina become mates? Not for my sake but…The two of you seem to really like each other and I can tell that she makes you really happy" he said._

"_I do like her…But she sort has something against males" replied Mohatu._

"_She's one of _those_ lionesses?"_

_An unappealing thought entered the king's head when his nephew said that so he shook his head vigorously to dismiss it and Hondari's implications. "No, that's not what I meant. She just has a strong distrust towards them."_

"_Oh…Then why don't you clear it for her? You know, get her to trust them again" suggested Hondari._

"_Well, I don't think I'd be able to-."_

"_At the current moment, I am the closest thing to a shaman that this kingdom has. That also makes me the king's royal adviser, so I advise you to take my suggestion into consideration."_

_Mohatu stared at his nephew's gleaming and hopeful eyes and knew that he didn't have much of a choice. "Fine, I'll think about it but I'm not making you any promises" he sighed. _

_Hondari smiled brightly as a response._

-X-

_The dark furred lion watched as a large pride diminished into three lions and two cubs. They were fleeing their homeland and the first few thoughts that came into the lion's head were how easy it was to fool these lions and destroy their precious home._

_He did not take any pleasure in watching the bloodshed, blazing fires, or listening to the sounds of pain and suffering. To him it just flew right past him, this war had been going on for at least two years and it has escalated so far as to involve civilians. How typical._

_He stood up and began his trek to the next target, he didn't have to wait on his troops; they knew where to go. It was time to get the newest kingdom involved in this war and he knew just how to do it. _

"_This world is run by foolish creatures that think they know what they're doing…But the truth is…They're just ruining it" the mysterious lion grumbled under his breath. "It's time to bring the world from the shadows of its demise."_

-X-

Pumbaa blinked rapidly as he was flung out of his dream. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against his chest and it was so weird, what he had just experienced. Rafiki had told him that shamans learn from the past in order to know what to do in the present but that dream seemed so random. What was he supposed to learn from it?

The only thing it had in common to present days was the mysterious lion that seemed to want peace through violence just like Hasani, although the warthog could not confirm his theory. If Rafiki was here then he'd know what to-.

Pumbaa train of thought was interrupted by a small paw touching his hind leg. He jerked away as if he was just burned but relaxed when he saw Timon looking up at him with a worried expression.

"You were thrashing around a bit…Did you have another one of those nightmares?" asked Timon.

Pumbaa decided it was better to keep this vision under wraps since Timon didn't necessarily believe in such things like 'shaman magic'. He nodded. "Yeah, it's probably our proximity to the hyenas…Brings back scary memories…" he lied.

"I understand."

"How's Tamina doing?"

"She's fine, she's asleep…It's almost time to go meet the hyenas. Are oyu going ot come with or do you plan on staying here?"

"I'm going…You need to stay with Tamina."

"If you say so…Hey…"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful out there."

Pumbaa nodded and as he was leaving the cave, he turned his head back one last time. "I will."

-X-

Once the guard line of hyenas came into view, Pumbaa froze and his breath caught in his throat. It was if he was unable to breathe and his body was chained to a boulder. He couldn't shake off the feelings of uneasiness and fear that came along with the sight of a hyena.

He never behaved like this before, so why was it happening now of all times. Could it be that it was because his buried memories resurfaced? Is that why his stomach was behaving this way? As if he would unleash a huge cloud of toxic gas? Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

"Are you okay Pumbaa?" Simba asked the larger half of his foster parents.

It took a short while for the king's words to actually reach the warthog's ears. He shakily nodded. "Y-Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about me, let's just continue on" replied Pumbaa.

Simba nodded and continued their walk. The first hyena spotted them when they were only a couple of yards away from the guard line. "Halt! Who goes there?" demanded the hyena guard.

The numerous guards protecting the border all turned to see at least a score of lions. They were approaching at a very slow and calm pace. It was almost like they were representatives here to say that they were surrendering, but then, why would they need so many.

Simba, the one leading the lions, stopped here. He looked over his shoulder to the others. "Kopa, Pumbaa, Malka, Zazu, Zahina, and I will continue on from here. The rest of you are going to have to wait out here."

"What?! I thought the whole point of us coming was to help you out, not to stay on the sidelines!" protested Kula.

Chaka nodded his agreement. "If you don't mind, your majesties, I'd like to assist in any way I can but I'd prefer to come with you in case something happens."

"No…You and the rest of the lions must stay here. If things begin to escalate to a point of no return…That's when you must strike. Chaka, I entrust this important job to you" said Malka. "I know you can do it."

The younger lion hesitated but never before had he ever denied his king's wishes. He bowed his head low and replied without much conviction. "…Yes, my liege…"

"I'm still waiting for an answer!" barked the hyena guard irately. He was about as impatient as any hyena could be.

Simba turned to the hyena and approached him with an air of authority. The hyena backed away a little in slight fear but stood his ground. "I am King Simba of the Pride Lands. The great Eastern Kingdom and I request an audience with your matriarch. I have a feeling that we're very old friends" answered the mighty lion.

"I'm…I'm afraid I must deny you of your request. Our matriarch is very busy…Unless this has to do with the conflict between the pack and pride then I suggest-."

"It does."

Another one of the guards, this one, a female, walked over to them as if she owned the entire world. She didn't look like she cared much about what was going on, just doing her duty. "I must assure you, in any other case we would allow you entrance but you do realize that it is not your place to interfere with other lands' affairs. You best stay out of it and let it play out on its own."

"Malka is one of my dearest friends and our kingdoms are allies" interjected Simba. "If he is in danger than I shall respond as if it were my own pride at threat. We may be two different prides but to me, we are one family."

The female guard was going to respond fiercely when they heard another one of the guards at the back exclaim loudly, "Commander Ed!"

The other guards to the front turned to see an old hyena approaching him with his hunting party. It was clear that he was going off to hunt. Simba, Pumbaa, and Zazu almost didn't recognize him because of both age and the fact that his eyes were focused for once.

"Are you off for a hunt sir?" asked the female guard. She only showed the slightest hint of interest when talking to Ed.

Ed nodded but froze, mid-step, upon seeing the king of his old homeland. Ed and Simba were locked in a staring contest for quite some time when Ed's eyes were averted towards Pumbaa. Simba was taken aback by what he saw, it was as if Ed was a completely different hyena.

Ed gestured for the guards to let them through. Many of them protested that it would be a mistake but Ed wouldn't hear any of it. He passed the guard line and whispered ever so quietly to Pumbaa. "Think of it as a thank you gift for last time."

Pumbaa turned and watched Ed's retreating form. Now Pumbaa was wondering if he really was becoming crazy. First, that insane dream and now he heard Ed speak? That was a first…No, that's not true, he had heard Ed speak, but only once before.

"Come on Pumbaa or we're going to leave you behind!" called Kopa, effectively snapping the insectivore back to reality.

"Oh, right!"

The small group was being escorted by the indifferent female guard to the matriarch's chamber. They could feel the eyes of countless hyenas boring into them. It was especially uncomfortable for the non-carnivores.

"Oh…I do hope this is over quickly" stammered Zazu.

"Couldn't agree with you more" whispered Zahina. She huddled closer to the older hornbill as if that would do any good against so many predators.

Finally, they had reached the matriarch's chamber. They were told to wait and their escort went inside to announce their presence. When she came back out, she just told them to go in and then left, presumably back to her post.

"Enter!" shouted a commanding voice from inside.

Simba took a deep breath and entered the cave where they were met with at least ten pairs of hyena eyes including a familiar female's. The others followed right behind him and froze at the cold eyes of the matriarch.

Shenzi threw a fleeting glance at each of them before keeping her eyes leveled on Pumbaa. The warthog knew exactly what she was thinking. She was contemplating whether his little favor back then was worth his life now.

_Pumbaa almost collapsed when he finally made it back to the border of the Pride Lands. It was still a long ways to go until he reached Pride Rock again but at least he cut his trip from the oasis to here in half. That was pretty good progress._

_Just a week ago, Scar was killed and Simba was now king. However, the pride still needed to eat and there was scarcely any food here. Therefore, he was told to go to the oasis and bring back the most filling grub gruels he could make. This was why he was carrying twenty bowls of stag beetle chowder on his back which was tied by a vine._

_He stopped a moment so that he could catch his breath when a voice caught his attention from behind._

"_Well, well, well, if it ain't the pig" snickered Shenzi as she came out from behind a large rock._

_Banzai and Ed were right behind her although they looked less enthusiastic than she did. Pumbaa couldn't help but take in the changes in their physical appearance. They'd all become thinner and their eyes were bloodshot. They even seemed older than they really were._

"_I-I thought you guys were banished" stuttered Pumbaa nervously. He couldn't fight while carrying all of this food on his back._

"_We were, you're not in the Pride Lands yet" Shenzi said with a less than convincing sinister smile. "And look around." She glanced around as if to add more effect to her words before turning her gaze back on him. "No lions or that mangy meekat to help you get out of this one. That seems like quite a load on you, let me lighten it!"_

_She pounced at the same time Pumbaa opened his mouth for a silent scream. But then Banzai shouted over Shenzi's roar. "Shenzi stop!"_

_The female hyena's eyes shifted towards her friends so she stopped short and fell right in front of her almost victim. "What now Banzai!?" she screeched at him but her face softened when she saw why he had shouted the way he did._

_Banzai was bent over Ed who was on the hard ground. He looked as if he was dying as he clutched his stomach tightly with his forepaws. Shenzi immediately came over to them and placed her full attention on her poor friend._

_She diverted her attention for only a moment. "Get out of here pig! You got lucky this time! Now go before I decide to kill you!" _

_Pumbaa was just about to heed her advice but knew that the guilt would eat him alive if he just left them there. He took the bowls of chowder off of his back and slid two of the bowls over to them. _

"_What are you doing?" snarled Shenzi._

"_Look, Ed's stomach is eating itself. It's what happens when one is starving. The only cure is to eat, and fast. Take this quickly and feed him. It's not very appetizing but at least it'll fill him. You two should eat up too, just in case" instructed Pumbaa. His voice and entire being was much more calm and stable now._

"_You expect us to eat this slop?" scoffed Shenzi._

"_Shenzi, we don't have much of a choice unless you want Ed to die" said Banzai. He took a bowl and pushed it closer to Ed. "Come on Ed, look in front of you and eat. Don't die on us! Not now when we were supposed to be starting our new lives!"_

_Shenzi looked from her friends to Pumbaa before giving in as well. By the time they had eaten their fill, Pumbaa was missing half the bowls he started with. But at least it would be enough for the pride to survive another day._

"_I have to ask pig…Why did you help us? Don't you need that stuff for the lions? Or did you pity us that much?" asked Shenzi._

_Pumbaa didn't understand why he had helped them either and was completely surprised when the answer came so easily and quickly to him. "Because you didn't know how to help him…If you had known that he was starving you would've killed me and have him eaten me. But instead you let me go…But the real reason why I helped was because all animals were born equal. Why shouldn't they live like that also? Even if one hunts the other…They can still live in harmony if their willing to try. And that's what I'm doing…I'm giving it a try."_

_Shenzi stared in shock at first before closing her eyes and smirking to herself. "Sure, get all philosophical with me. Whatever…You can go back to Simba now…But next time we meet…I might actually hesitate in killing you."_

_Pumbaa nodded to show that he understood and was about to leave when Ed stopped him. "Thank you" he whispered with a sincere smile._

-X—

**Hope you all enjoyed this. Tell me what you guys think and don't forget to be patient. I'll see you all next time! Review please!**


	13. Vacations and Negotiations

**It's high time I skip the excruciatingly long introductions and go for short and sweet. I'm glad many of you are enjoying this story and I am especially grateful to those who have reviewed. Really gives me a warm feeling in my heart. Anyway, this chapter starts at the Pride Lands but don't worry, we'll head back to the Coast Lands as well. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to tell me what you think.**

-X-

Nala looked everywhere but she couldn't find any signs of any rogues. No scent, paw prints, or even any witnesses to verify her daughter's claim. The queen sighed and decided it was time to try another tactic. After all, nothing could go wrong from double checking.

She walked over to a softer patch of ground where a circle was made by numerous pebbles, all in various shapes, sizes, and colors. She entered the circle and stomped her forepaw three times in the middle. A few seconds later, a mole popped his head up.

"You requested my presence, your majesty?" the mole greeted her with a salute.

Nala nodded but then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Yes Chane…My daughter told me that she caught sight of rogues in the Pride Lands yesterday. Without Zazu around, I've got to depend on you and your scouts. Investigate every inch of the Pride Lands and the borders and make sure that things are all right."

"Yes ma'am, you can count on us!" replied Chane. With that, he burrowed his way back underground to spread her instructions.

Nala could only hope that everything would turn out okay. She began to go back towards Pride Rock when she heard a twig snap behind her. Her muscles immediately tensed and her body went into the defensive.

She turned to the source of the noise and growled threateningly. "Who goes there? I warn you, I won't hold back if you are a danger to my home."

There was no answer, only silence. Her body relaxed only the tiniest bit as she approached the tall grass outside the circle. When she parted the grass, she saw nothing but a broken twig. It was possible that a small animal was just scurrying by because it would've been nearly impossible for anything large to sneak past such an experienced huntress such as herself.

She shrugged it off and began her trek back to Pride Rock. But she still kept her body at the ready for any surprise attack that would come, just in case.

-X-

Kovu blinked his eyes awake. That had to have been the best sleep he had ever gotten in a long while. He gave a great big yawn and stretched his limbs. After shaking his mane out, he noticed something very wrong in the den. The cave was completely empty except for him. A sudden rush of panic passed through him as he rushed out of there only to find his mate and cubs playing in front of the dark cave.

"Kiara?" he uttered groggily.

She turned to him and gave him a sweet smile. "Kovu, you're finally awake. I was a little worried that you were going to sleep until nightfall."

"Papa, papa, you can play with me today right?" chimed Kito.

"I wanna play too! Don't let Kito have all the fun!" piped up Kioni.

Kovu couldn't help smiling at his cubs but then he looked up at the sun and was left with another feeling of panic. "Look at the position of the sun! Kiara, why didn't you wake me? I was supposed to be patrolling the borders this morning."

"No, my mother already did that for you" said Kiara stopping him from going anywhere. "Kovu, you promised me you'd take a break today, remember? All of this stress is bad for your health and I don't want to see your life diminish right before my eyes. Now come back and spend some time with your family."

Kovu stood frozen as he looked at each of his family members' eyes. They ranged from worried and concerned to hopeful. He was suddenly reminded of his duel with Kopa and how he had to slap some sense into him. It seemed like the same thing was occurring here only towards him this time.

He gave a sigh of defeat but smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, you're right as usual. I could take a break…Thank you so much for doing this for me" he said as he affectionately nuzzled his mate.

"Aw come on papa, you don't have to be so mushy in front of me" whined Kito.

"In front of _us_ you mean" corrected Kioni smartly.

The two parents laughed whole-heartedly before their day really started. The family of four made their way towards Zulu Falls and Zuberi River. Kovu found it much more pleasant than worrying over every little thing that happened.

Kioni kept her eyes on the fishes swimming against the current. At her current age, she wasn't very interested in learning how to hunt; instead she found an interest in something else. "These…um…fishes aren't very smart. Why are they swimming this way when the water goes this way?" She used her paw to show the directions in which she was indicating.

Kito, who wanted to show that he was better than his sister in every way possible, tried to come up with an answer as quickly as he could. "Well the fish are going this way because…of…erm…well…They like the waterfall better!"

Kiara chuckled lightly when she heard this answer. "I don't see why not, but that's not why. These fish are actually very smart. They swim this way so that they can get their food. They aren't going anywhere but these fish like to eat flies and other insects so they wait for them to die, they fall into the river and flow towards them."

"Ew!" exclaimed Kioni in disgust. "They eat bugs? Like Uncle Timon and Uncle Pumbaa?"

"Yes, only, the fishes don't look for them the same way they do" said Kovu.

"It's kind of sad though. I don't like bugs but it's sad for them to die…It's also sad to see any animal die to become food" muttered Kioni. Her ears flattened themselves sadly onto her head as her head drooped forward and her tail swished to and fro.

"I used to think the same way" mentioned Kiara as she came close to her daughter. "But let me tell you something. Every animal plays a large part of this world; they all have their very own role in the Circle of Life."

"For the animals that get hunted and eaten, it's more like a straight line" interjected her daughter.

Kiara gave her daughter a warning glance but continued with the same gentle tone. "Even the animals that get hunted have their own role in the Circle of Life. You see, carnivores like us eat them and when we die, our bodies fertilize the earth and help the plants grow which the herbivores eat."

Kioni became wide eyed when she heard this. "So you're saying we become food for the herbivores?"

Kiara sighed and shook her head, knowing that she would have to explain it better some other time, maybe when Kioni was older. "No, that's not what I'm saying…I'll just explain it some other time."

Kovu smiled towards his mate and daughter but it soon faded away when he realized that his son was missing. He looked around him but when he saw that Kito was nowhere in sight, he turned his frantic gaze upon Kiara. "Kiara, have you seen Kito? I don't see him anywhere!" He tried to keep his voice calm and composed but failed miserably. He was surprised to hear how desperate and panicky his voice came out to be.

Kiara's eyes widened with fear as Pumbaa's warning rang in her ears once more to remind her that they had to keep an extra watchful eye on Kito or else they might lose him.

_"You shouldn't ever leave him alone. The leonine prophecy speaks of the next great king after Kovu and Kopa and it doesn't seem to describe Kito. We believe that it might either be Kopa and Vitani's cub or Kioni's mate. Either way it doesn't prophesize that Kito will be king" said Pumbaa as calmly as he could._

_The future rulers just stared back in shock. It was difficult for them to process what they were just told and even more so to believe it. Kiara gave a worried glance over to her cubs that were currently chasing after a butterfly under Nala's watch._

_"You mean something could happen to Kito?" inquired Kovu._

_Pumbaa hesitated but then nodded._

_"But that can't be! Maybe he's going to be king, just not a __great__ king" pointed out Kiara._

_"We can't know that for certain but one thing I do know is that we need to be extra careful with Kito. We need to make sure he's safe" resolved Kovu._

_Kiara began shaking her head and looked up to her mate. "I promised myself that I wouldn't deprive our cubs the same freedom I was deprived of. I don't want them to feel as if they're being locked away without ever getting a chance to taste fresh air."_

_"Don't worry Kiara, they won't. We just need to be a little more cautious, that's all" assured her mate._

For a second she thought one of the rogues might've cub-napped her son. She quickly dismissed the idea; there was no way they could've snuck up on them without them taking any notice. But that didn't rule out the possibility that Kito had wandered far away.

The pair of panicked parents began searching for their son and calling his name. Their daughter became increasingly worried as well with each passing shout until she looked up. "Mama, papa, I see him!" she called quickly.

Kovu and Kiara both turned simultaneously towards their daughter's call. They came up to her and craned their necks to see what she was looking at. They both gasped in both fear and relief when they saw that he was standing at the very edge of Zulu Falls. It appears that he was following a dragonfly that had flown past him.

"Kito, get down here this instant before you get hurt!" ordered Kiara, taking on her motherly tone which was a mix of concern and anger, mostly concern though.

Kito had either not heard her or he had and he was just pretending that he hadn't. In his defense he was standing quite close to the water and therefore, the roar of the waterfall and rushing water was filling his ears.

"Kito, you listen to your mother and come down!" shouted Kovu over the slight roar of the waterfall.

This time, Kito had heard them and looked out over the edge. The drop actually wasn't that high but he could still seriously harm himself if he did fell. Even worse, he might fall on his head and attain permanent damage to his brain. That was a risk neither of the parents could take.

"Kito, come down please!" cried out Kiara, more in desperation.

The young lion cub didn't like the sound of his mother's voice so he decided that it was best to do as she asked him to. "Okay, mama, I'll be down in a minute!" He turned around and his hind paws were at the very edge for only a second.

But it only took that one second for the hard earth underneath to crumble away as Kito was suddenly pulled backwards by the force of gravity. He cried out in fear as did the rest of his family members.

Kovu reacted quickly and jumped high into the air. He grabbed his son in his forepaws and landed on his back, hard. He skidded to stop and grunted in pain when he finally did. The rocks underneath him had scratched deep into his skin and blood could be seen. Fur had been scraped off and spots of blood covered the ground.

"Kovu! Kito!" Kiara gasped as she ran over to them with Kioni in full tow.

"I-I'm all right" groaned Kovu. "Kito, are you okay?" He opened up his forepaws to reveal the small shaking cub there. "Kito?"

Kito looked up at his father with tear in his eyes. "I'm okay…I'm sorry."

"The important thing now is that you're safe. Now let's go back" said Kovu. Although he made it sound as if he was okay, they all knew he wasn't when he stood up only to fall and kneel on one of his hind legs.

"Kovu, you're hurt, you shouldn't move around so much or it might get worse" cautioned Kiara.

"Papa, you're bleeding!" whined Kioni. She, like her brother, was tearing up as well. They were young, they shouldn't have been exposed to injuries such as these even if it wasn't as bad as a war scar.

"Well if I just stay here then there will be a higher chance of infection settling in" pointed out Kovu stubbornly. "I need to get back to Pride Rock so Rafiki can check it out for me."

Kiara found this ironic, the Tree of Life was so close to their current location that she could probably bring Rafiki from there to here in about a minute or two. But Rafiki wasn't at the Tree of Life; he was at Pride Rock thanks to Kiara and Vitani's suggestion, which was approximately an hour's walk away. _'Nice move Kiara.'_

"You stay here with the cubs, I'm going to fetch Rafiki" stated Kiara. She then turned her attention towards her cubs. "You two stay here with your father, don't wander off too far and be very careful. I don't want either of you to get hurt. Mama will be back as soon as she can."

After her cubs nodded in understanding, Kiara ran off in the direction of Pride Rock. She knew that Kovu was going to be just fine as long as she got Rafiki back to him; she was more worried if her cubs were going to listen to her orders or try and look for their own way to help their father. Even worse, she was afraid that the rogues might get to them. _'Please, please, be there when I get back.'_

-X-

Shenzi's eyes quickly swept away from Pumbaa's and she returned her harsh glare upon Simba. It was clear she still didn't like anyone from Mufasa nor Scar's family even after all these years. "What are you doing here King Simba? This is the Eastern Kingdom, you and your pride have no jurisdiction here" the matriarch stated venomously.

"Shenzi, I'm sorry but like I said to your guards, Malka is my friend and a part of my family. I could never just leave his pride alone if they were in danger" Simba replied. "You should know what it's like to protect someone even if they are different."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Before I was born, Scar or Taka as you knew was locked under den arrest. He wasn't from your home and he wasn't even of your species, yet you smuggled food in for him. You protected him even if you two were different because he was your friend, that's all that mattered."

Shenzi's eyes grew wider with each passing word; she was completely caught off guard by her adversary stating this as if he was there at the time. It made her wonder what else he knew from her past. "That's all in the past. It means nothing to me now!"

Simba and Shenzi were locked in a silent battle where whoever cowers first would lose. Once upon a time, Shenzi wouldn't even have had the nerve to stand up to a full grown lion like this but this time, she had so many backing her up that it was a surprise that Simba wasn't backing down.

The silence was easily broken by Kopa. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to the head of lion negotiations. He should be the expert in communicating with…our species."

"You mean Banzai? He's been removed from his place as negotiator" stated Shenzi matter-of-factly. "He gives in too easily and thinks about appeasement too much. Even if he still held that position, he is not here at the moment so either way, you will have to answer to me."

There was a short pause before Simba picked up the conversation once more. "Very well then…Matriarch Shenzi, I understand that I am no longer your king but you must know the risk you are running by doing this to Malka's kingdom."

With that said, Zazu took the floor without missing a beat. "What you are doing here is exactly what you had done during Scar's reign. You've neglected these lands, overhunt, and have done nothing to help these lands grow. You are only going to repeat your past mistake if you keep this up" warned the majordomo.

"We're not telling you to lay off our land but please, give us back our home. Surely, you must know what it is like to live in a very…unwelcoming environment" added Zahina. "We can go back to how it was before, before the treaty was broken."

There was the sound of a hyena pretending to cough in the background but anyone could tell that he had hidden an insult about lions in that cough. Shenzi ignored this and turned back to Simba. "That treaty meant nothing to you despicable _lions_. Why would we ever return to that nonsense?" she spat.

Simba held back a growl that was forming in the back of his throat. He knew that it was Malka's turn to rebut. "What are you talking about? We respected that treaty and did as we promised but you went and harmed our hunting party, killing my mate!" retorted the Malka indignantly.

"Liar! You know what you did" hissed one of the other hyenas.

"My son was killed because of _your_ pride!" shouted another hysterically.

"Off with their heads!" added the one next to her.

All of their demands became drowned out by each other. Throughout this bickering, one of the male hyenas launched himself from his perch atop of a ledge towards Simba, with the full intention of ripping out the king's throat.

Kope caught sight of this before anyone else did and reacted quickly. "Dad!" Kopa rammed the hyena down onto his back and glared at the canine furiously. This became the signal for the rest of the hyenas to break out and attack.

"So much for diplomacy" muttered Zahina as she flew high above the teeth and claws.

-X-

**It seems that fighting has finally ensued between the hyenas and the lions (And possibly meerkats, hornbills, and a warthog). Let's hope for the best for now because that's all I'm giving you. Will Kito and Kioni stay with their injured father? What could Pumbaa's visions mean? All questions you're just going to have to wait for, to find out the answer. **


	14. A Thing Called Life

**I was not expecting the update to take so long…I am so sorry for the wait but here it is. Also, I had the best English class ever the day before Spring Break. One of my classmates brought in a guitar because he's in band and our teacher played it! He even sang and I have to say, it was incredible, he is seriously musically talented. I have a new appreciation for my English teacher. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I like reviews so don't be hesitant. Ah, you know what, do what you guys want, writing this story is fun! But seriously, review! Hope you enjoy!**

-X-

Rafiki inhaled and exhaled in even intervals without missing a single beat. He was completely in tune with the universe, absolutely one with nature. It was either that, or he was sleeping in a cross-legged position with his back completely upright.

"Rafiki…Rafiki…" a soft voice resounded throughout his mind until it slowly increased in volume and became a frantic and panicked shout. "Rafiki wake up!"

The old mandrill's eyes shot open and he saw Kiara staring him in the face. Her face was etched with the combination of concern and urgency. He looked around and saw that the princess had carried him from Pride Rock until they were a couple yards away from Zulu Falls. She looked exhausted as she tried to catch her much needed breath so it was clear she was running at top speed the entire time.

Rafiki placed a hand on the princess's forehead. He could feel unease and worry spreading throughout her entire being. "Your fur is matted down with lukewarm sweat." He pulled his hand away and stood up with the help of his stick.

"Rafiki I-!"

The shaman held up a hand to silence her for he already knew what the situation was. He hobbled his way over to Kovu's location without the assistance of Kiara who was following at a respectable distance.

They found Kovu in the exact same spot where he was left. He had lost consciousness and was now resting peacefully. Rafiki took a look at the scratches on the prince's back and smiled. "There is absolutely nothing to worry about. These are only minor scratches, his blood has already clotted along the openings, and there are no signs of infection. But just in case, I will have to treat him with some herbs at my tree."

"Thank goodness" breathed Kiara. That's when she realized the other problem. She looked around and noticed that two little figures were nowhere in sight. "But where are Kito and Kioni?!"

-X-

The sounds of roars and clashing carnivores reached even the hyena matriarchate borders. The lions that were left behind all picked up their ears in response to the noise. "What is going on over there?" muttered the first hyena guard.

Another hyena ran up to the guard line in a panicked state. "This is bad! Those lions inside are attacking!" he yelled.

"What?!" exclaimed the hyena guard.

Kula's eyes narrowed at the back of the guard. He had his back turned to them for only a minute but that was all she needed. She smirked to herself and lunged onto the hyena's back. His yelp died in his throat along with him when she crushed his windpipe in her jaws.

"Kula!" gasped Tama in disbelief.

"Sorry, but waiting was never my forte" grinned the other lioness. "This is our chance to take back the Western Kingdom! Don't let it go now!" Upon her word, many of the other lions burst into a fighting frenzy as back-up joined the hyenas on the guard line.

Chaka bit his lower lip at the recklessness of Kula's actions and the way she was taking charge. "What the heck do you think you're doing?! We're supposed to be negotiating with them, not fighting!" he shouted at her.

"Are you deaf!?" she retorted. "Do you not hear my and your king over there? It sounds like they're the ones fighting back to me. Negotiations or not, that plan was a bust so we're doing this how we should've done so in the first place. The same way the hyenas did, by force!"

Chaka growled lowly but he knew that the best way to protect his pride was to fight alongside them. He wasn't going to have any of them die here, not even Kula. Speaking of which…"Duck!" he shouted to the quick-tempered lioness.

She reacted as he wanted and he pounced over her and collided with the hyena aiming to get her. She was stunned to see Chaka getting into the fray to protect her of all lionesses. "You look shocked, we're supposed to be one family right?" he grinned cockily as he knocked out the hyena.

"You didn't finish him" she said when she noticed that the hyena was still breathing.

He shook his head. "I don't need to…He may have taken my home away from my me and my family but he's at least alive."

"Isn't that the problem? These scum are living?"

Chaka frowned as he knocked down another one of the hyenas and then head butted him towards the others, bowling them over. "Even if they were scum…They're friends and family, not to us but to other hyenas. They may have family, lovers, and children to return to. And what's important is that they do return to them. So they can laugh, cry, smile, struggle, and breathe along with them. If love never existed then neither would life, that's why love exists. So that those are who are lost will have something to return to. We're pack and pride but one thing we can both understand is love."

Kula was distracted by this new information piling into her mind. She vanished from the physical world so she was open to attack; thankfully, Tama and Chaka had her back. _'That's right…Me, Tama, and everyone else are alive. And so is Jua…We're all alive for him…What's important right now is that he has family and friends he can return to, if he doesn't, he never will.'_

"Kula, come on! We need your help now!" snapped Tama as she ducked a leaping hyena.

Kula's eyes snapped open and she pounced on one of the hyenas. She knocked the hyena's head onto a rock hard enough to leave her unconscious. She pressed a paw to the hyena's chest and was relieved to find that she was still breathing.

"You didn't kill her" breathed Chaka with a smile.

She grinned back. "What matters now is that she's alive. Just like how we have to come out of this alive. We have those we want to return to and there are those that need us to be around for _them_ to return to."

Chaka nodded in agreement as they stood back to back. "Let's both get out of this alive then."

-X-

While Jelani was walking with Banzai, they suddenly heard a deafening roar in the distance. They turned back and ran back to where they had left Sauda and Jambo. "What was that?" asked Banzai in concern.

"I'm not sure father, but I think it came from the direction of the pack" Sauda remarked. She sounded even more worried than her father did.

"It sounds like there's a clash going on between the hyenas and the lions right now" Jelani said insightfully. "That means help from the Pride Lands has finally arrived!"

"Is grandma going to be okay?" whimpered Jambo.

Any further words into the conversation were cut short by the call of a hyena messenger. "Lord Banzai! Lord Banzai, are you here?" the voice called.

Banzai made a shushing motion towards the others, signaling for them to keep quiet while he dealt with the messenger. Although it was unnecessary, they already knew that it was imperative to keep the fact that Jelani was alive a secret.

Banzai stepped out from behind the cover of the shrubs to make his presence known to the newly arrived hyena. He kept his expression neutral but made sure to keep signs of concern in the corners of his eyes. "What is it? Speak!"

"Matriarch Shenzi, she's in danger! The lion pride has struck back and they have the assistance of the Eastern Kingdom with them! We need you back there to help!" relayed the messenger as quickly as he could.

Banzai nodded to show that he understood. "Let's go then."

"But what about Sauda, wasn't she and your grandson with you when you left?"

"She'll be fine, I'm sure she'll know what's going on. Besides, it's dangerous for Jambo to be there right now. I'll just explain what happened to her when I come back here. Right now I'm needed with the pack."

"Yes sir!"

When Banzai and the messenger had disappeared into the fray, Jelani, Sauda, and Jambo stepped out of the shrubs.

"It seems help has finally arrived. This war will be over soon" smiled Jelani.

Sauda didn't seem to share her leonine friend's feelings. The tips of her mouth were pointed downwards in the same direction her ears were pointed. "But…Our pride-mates and our pack-mates, they're going to get hurt."

"I understand how you're feeling but this is the only way" replied Jelani sadly. "Unless your mother is taken down then-."

"Who says she needs to be!" she suddenly growled at him. "Why can't we talk this out? What are we, savages? If we can get them to understand one another's views then everything will resolve itself."

Jelani frowned back and snapped back when he knew that he should've tried a softer approach. "That's all you want to do right? Sit back and let the problem fix itself. Well that doesn't happen in real life! In real life, you have to take initiative sometimes! If you don't then the problem will only get worse!"

"And how do you know that trying to talk things out won't work?"

"And hope for another treaty? Just look at how well the first one turned out!"

"Well what we really need is someone that understands both sides. This way both sides can live together in peace."

"Peace can't exist between our two species!"

"Then what do _we_ have Jelani?!" Jelani was taken aback by this loud outburst and the ferocity of her voice combined with the intensity in her eyes. "Is my father your enemy? Do you think of Jambo as your enemy? Am _I_ your enemy?" she stared him down.

Jelani was speechless at first but when he found his voice, it came out as if his throat was dry and scratchy. "I didn't mean that…But…What good can come out of talking if things are so shifty between our two species?"

Sauda calmed down and shook her head. She gave him a weak smile as she gave the best answer she could. She doubted it in her mind but when it was spoken out loud, it sounded so true to her. "We made it possible…The bond between us…Maybe the relationship between our species can never be perfect but it will be enough. And you asked what good can come of talking? Well the answer is…We'll come out alive. We'll be alive for our families, our friends, and our new loves when we meet them. That's the good that will come out of it."

Jelani was surprised to hear such an answer from Sauda. For the longest time, he's heard so many stories about the 'filthy hyenas'. And yet, here was one of them and she had more hope and spirit than any other lion he knew. He chuckled to himself and gave her a smile, for Sauda, this one gesture was enough for her to know that he believed that it was true too.

-X-

While the frenzy of fang and claw occurred under Shenzi's paws, she kept her eyes on the two birds in the air. She wasn't sure at first but she was sure now. Her eyes widened in anger when she came to her realization.

Simba leaped backwards and landed next to Kopa. "Are you all right Kopa?" he asked his son.

"Believe me, I've been better. We're outnumbered here…" replied the prince.

"I agree, our best option is to retreat. I hope Zazu, Zahina, and Pumbaa are okay."

Kopa clawed the hind leg of a hyena and then pushed him to the side before turning back to his father. "I'm sorry dad. When I attacked that hyena…I didn't think this would happen."

Simba raised an eyebrow in amusement as he slammed two hyenas down to the ground. "Last I checked, saving your own father from possible death is nothing to apologize for. Now I think it's time for us to get out of here."

"The bird…" Shenzi whispered.

Malka heard and looked up to her. "Don't even think about eating either one of them, matriarch!"

But the hyena leader didn't seem to hear him. Her focus was completely concentrated on Zahina. Shenzi's eyes narrowed as she leaped into the air, her purpose was to pin Zahina down to the ground. She pushed the feathered creature on to the ground and glared down at her, only to find it wasn't a 'her'.

"Zazu!" cried Zahina. When Shenzi was inches away from her actual target, the male hornbill had pushed Zahina out of the way and got caught himself.

Shenzi growled low in her throat as she gave Zahina a threatening glare. She pressed down harder on the small frame of Zazu, causing the majordomo to yell out in pain. "You, little birdie, will answer my questions or dodo here gets it!"

"Y-You stay away from her you fiend!" choked out Zazu.

"Zazu!" called out Simba in concern.

"How did you escape and get help from the Eastern Kingdom? I thought Banzai had finished you!" Shenzi barked at Zahina.

"Please, please let Zazu go!" sobbed Zahina.

The fighting around them seemed to have ceased and now everyone was just watching the show. Shenzi loosened her hold on Zazu but she still kept him pressed to the hard ground. "Answer my question and I'll think about it."

"I escaped" Zahina said weakly.

"So either you or Banzai is a liar…"

Zahina looked up and stared into the cold and lifeless eyes of the matriarch. "No! I escaped, I'm sure-!"

"The hyena troop that had chased you and the prince that night told me that you were eaten by Banzai" said Shenzi simply. This was when another realization hit Shenzi, the reason why Jelani's body vanished, Banzai and Sauda leaving almost every day, their secret whispers…Everything had been done behind her back, to betray her, just like Scar did. Shenzi narrowed her eyes but her calm composure had been broken. "The prince is alive too isn't he?!"

Everyone in the room was stunned upon her outburst, especially Malka. "What…But how…?" whispered the king.

Shenzi raised her paw up and got ready to stamp the life out of Zazu. "No!" shouted Zahina. Simba saw this and pushed the matriarch to the ground and pinned her down. "Retreat! Now!" Simba roared urgently.

-X-

"Kito, are you sure we should be doing this? Mama told us to stay with papa" protested Kioni.

"But the medicine papa needs are in Raf-kee's tree right? It's so close, we can get it and bring it back. Then I'm sure mama and papa will forgive us for leaving" reasoned Kito with a smile that said he was sure he was right.

"But Raf-kee's tree is so big…We'll never climb it…" Kioni pointed out.

Kito stopped in his tracks as his sister's words slowly sank in. "Oh yeah, I forgot" he chuckled sheepishly. "But we can look for those weird plant things Raf-kee uses to heal cuts. I'm sure if we put our mind to it we can do it, that's what auntie 'Tani would say."

"I don't think this is what she meant…"

"You worry too much, we'll be fine."

Kioni seriously doubted it but she decided to just do as her brother said. It was better to tag along with him than leave him alone when he could get hurt. "But do you know how those plant healy thingies even look or where to look for them?" she asked.

"I know they look like plants" he answered.

She shook her head and replied in a flat tone. "Of course you do."

The two cubs looked and sniffed at every plant to see if there was something different or unique about them. But without even a hint as to how to find these plants, they were at a total loss. After a few more minutes, Kioni gave up and sat down. She watched as Kito continued to search for the right herbs even though he had no idea which it was. She closed her eyes and rested her head in her paws.

"Okay…It might be…This one…or this one…or maybe this one…" murmured Kito. He was about to keep pointing at random plants when he realized how far they had wandered off. He quickly shook his sister until she opened her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Look over there!" he pointed.

Kioni stood next to her brother and saw a barren landscape in front of them. It was a place very familiar to their father but much unknown to them. "The outlands" they both whispered simultaneously but in different tones.

"We should go back" said Kioni worriedly. "Mama must be back now and she must be very worried." She paused and looked around. "Um…Kito…Where is…'back'?"

Kito was snapped away from his fascination of his father's cub hood home and to his sister's scared expression. "Um…I think it was…or maybe it was…or was it over…" He gave a defeated sigh as he came up to the same conclusion as his sister. They were lost. "I don't know."

"Of course you don't" she said in the same tone as when she had said a similar sentence earlier.

Both their ears perked up at the sound of rustling coming from the nearby bushes. They happily expected to see their mother come out from there but were automatically disappointed and scared when male laughter reached their ears, and it did not sound like their father.

"Who's there?" whimpered Kito. The shake and the fear in his voice betrayed any signs of confidence that the question was intended to have.

"Who's there? Well let me see. I see me…my friend…and my other friend" snickered one voice.

"But what do you see here, in front of us?" asked another.

"Well I see…hmmm…I can't be sure but I think I see…" Three heads of wild dogs burst out from the bushes, scaring the two lion cubs. "Our lunch!" they snapped together.

Kito leaped back from the predators' jaws and turned in the general direction of where they had left their father. "Run!" The two cubs broke off into a run in a desperate attempt to shake off their pursuers.

"Do you know where we're going?" asked Kioni, her voice laced with fear.

"No!" he replied. He turned back and saw the wild dogs closing in fast with their mouths watering in hunger. "But anywhere is better than back there!"

The two cubs were still very small and young so there was no real chance that they could outrun the canines, they could only hope to encounter someone from their pride. They shouted for their mother or their father but whatever sound they made seemed to be drowned out by their heavy breathing and the panting of the wild dogs.

They leaped over fallen logs and avoided crashing into the thorn bushes. They were able to evade all of these obstacles until Kito tripped over a tangle of thick roots. "Kito!" cried his sister as she was about to run back to him.

Kito looked over his shoulder and saw that the wild dogs were only a couple of yards away now. He didn't want Kioni to die because of him so he turned back his head back to his sister. "No, forget me! Go get mama or papa!"

Kioni hesitated but as the snarls of the wild dogs got closer, she just reacted. She bolted from the scene as quickly as she could in hopes of finding her mother. She was out of view by the time the wild dogs had Kito surrounded. They licked their lips and stared hungrily at their prey.

"This is going to be delicious, I love tender meat" drooled one of the wild dogs.

"Close your mouth, you'll dehydrate" cackled a second.

"I want the leg! I definitely want a leg!" the third joined in.

Kito wondered if this was how the prey lions hunted felt. He could feel fear, anxiety, nervousness, anticipation, as well as some sort of acceptance for what was about to happen. But he didn't want to accept it, he was scared out of his mind and he just wanted to curl up and cry for his loving parents. "P-Please…Just leave me alone" he sniffled.

This only caused raucous laughter from the dogs but right before they even finished their laughter, a loud roar shut them up.

"Papa?" whispered Kito cautiously.

"Papa?" questioned the three wild dogs.

Their response was a large dark-furred male lion tackling the three of them to the ground. Kovu was dragging them around like rag dolls and they were trying to escape his wrath like he was the devil. During this, Kiara came and nuzzled Kito comfortingly.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe" she whispered.

"Mama" he sobbed as he buried himself into her chest.

The three canines shook in fear as Kovu had them in between his forelegs. He glared threateningly at them, daring them to even think about trying to harm one of his family members. "Don't you _ever_, try to hurt my son or any of my children again or you'll regret it for the last seconds of your lives" Kovu growled.

"Y-Yes young prince, we promised. W-We didn't know that he was y-your son sir" they stammered.

"Get out of my sight before I decide a more cruel punishment."

"Y-Yes sir!"

The canines ran off in another direction and Kovu turned his attention to Kito with a stern stare. The cub was suddenly extremely interested on the ground as he averted his father's gaze. "Where's Kioni?" he asked trying to pretend that everything that had happened actually didn't.

"She went back home with Rafiki after she told us what happened" said Kovu. "You were very lucky that your mother and I were nearby. But next time you may not be so lucky. What were you thinking going off on your own like that?"

"I just wanted to help you since I got you hurt" Kito replied softly.

"Well you should've listened to your mother and stayed. It could've been so much worse, you have no idea how worried your mother and I were!"

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?! We're your parents!"

"I mean why do you keep me away from everything all the time?"

Kovu wasn't expecting this to come from his son's mouth. It was true that after Pumbaa's warning they put Kito under strict supervision but they had no idea how much freedom they had actually taken away from him. He sighed and replied in a much softer and gentler tone "We just don't want you to get hurt."

"But I came back safely today."

"But what if you didn't?"

"But I did!" Kito burst out suddenly. "You should be happy that I came back safely but instead you're angry with me! I'm alive and that means I'm okay so you should be happy. Grandpa and uncle Kopa are the ones fighting the hyenas but you're more worried about me when I'm home. I'm alive…right?"

The parents looked at each other and realized how true their son's words were. This entire time, their main worries were centered around Kito, the kingdom, and each other, they never gave a second's thought about what may be happening at the Western Kingdom. They were selfish and they knew that now. It looked liked it was time to change how they thought.

-X-

**About the whole 'Raf-kee' thing, I just figured that the cubs wouldn't be able to pronounce Rafiki right, so I changed it to that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; it was inspired by the Edolas arc from my most favorite anime that I am currently watching, **_**Fairy Tail**_**. Don't forget to review!**


	15. Warnings and Memories

**Spring Break ended way too quickly. Man, the days feel like they just speed by in the blink of an eye. Although I'm partially glad it's over, this has been the most stressful break ever, ironic huh? So here is the latest addition to Story of the Stars so I hope you all enjoy, especially my dedicated readers. Also, as much as I love writing this, I really want more reviews, it really helps when I receive them because it gives me a good boost in confidence and helps me know what needs to be changed or what I can add. Don't be afraid to say what you want.**

-X-

"_Madam!" greeted Chane as he popped out of the ground at the queen's paws. "News from the underground! We were able to pick up the scents of various rogues in the vicinity near the southern border. It appears they made camp there for a couple nights and then moved along to other territory."_

_Nala raised a skeptical eyebrow when she had heard this story, it's not that she was doubting their trusted assistant mole but it just seemed too unusual for random rogues. "So they were here but then they just decided to leave?" _

"_Yes" he confirmed._

"_I see; that's good to hear Chane" smiled Nala. "I'll be sure to pass on the message to my daughter so her mind can be put to ease. Thank you for all your help, it is greatly appreciated."_

"_Always an honor ma'am!" saluted the mole. "Call me again at anytime and I will be there to assist." With that, he burrowed his way back underground to await his next call of duty._

-X-

Nala padded towards Pride Rock at a very slow pace so that she could think over the situation. Nothing seems to happen for a reason although there always was, the question was, what? _'Even though I believe that what Chane says is true, I can't help thinking that something is off. Why would hostile looking rogues just come to the Pride Lands and then leave? It just doesn't add up.'_

Then there was that other suspicious thing that had happened a little bit after that confrontation with Chane though. It wasn't as worrying as it was disturbing.

-X-

"_Rogues?" inquired the clan leader of the cheetahs._

"_Yes, I was wondering if your clan had caught wind of any rogues in the Pride Lands" nodded Nala. "I know that it's not in my place to ask this favor of you Mosi, but I just want to ask you this as a friend."_

_Mosi sat there in deep thought for a minute, thinking if he had noticed any shady characters around lately. "I didn't see anyone around that could arouse suspicions, but I doubt I'm the best person to be asked. You see, I just came back from a trip last night." _

_The queen nodded in understanding. "Yes, Simba told me of your trip to your sister tribe close to the western border. But what about the rest of your clan, do they know anything?"_

"_Why don't we ask them?"_

_Before they could get around to asking, one of the cheetahs looked up from his sunbathing spot and called them over. "If you're looking for the rogues that were near the southern border, then they're already long gone. I also wouldn't count on them returning anytime soon" said the cheetah._

"_If you knew of these rogues, why didn't you inform Queen Nala of this?" asked Mosi._

_The cheetah just shrugged lazily and indifferently as if it didn't matter in the slightest to him. "I guess it just didn't occur to me to tell the higher-ups in society. But just between us, those rogues are the least of your worries."_

_Nala narrowed her eyes on this cheetah, there was definitely something dark about him, something that spoke volumes of bad news. "What exactly do you mean by that?"_

"_I heard your mate, the king, went off on a mission to another kingdom. It'd be a shame if he didn't return" said the feline. The words themselves weren't as creepy as what he did next. His eyes seemed to dilate and become like snake slits, he stood up and gave her a sinister smile which reminded her of the appearance of a venomous desert snake. With that he seemed to vanish with the other cheetahs._

"_Who was that?" breathed Nala, her eyes on where he had disappeared. She could still feel the running down her spine. "I don't think I've ever seen him in your clan before."_

_Mosi shook his head and she noticed that he was unnerved by this as well. "I didn't notice this before but that's the rogue cheetah that my clan took in while I was gone. He goes by the name, Jet. According to them, he had arrived sick and hungry. I thought he was completely harmless but now I'm not too sure."_

_Nala shook off the chills and turned away from the cheetah clan leader. "Well, thank you for the information. Just please keep an eye out for anything worth keeping your eye on. And don't let your guard down at any time, especially around Jet."_

"_I could say the same to you if there was a Jet there" said Mosi with a nervous chuckle. "Just…Keep your guard up."_

-X-

"Maybe I'm reading too much into it" she sighed. She was about to take another step forward when she felt a slight shift in the ground, Chane popped up in front of her paws once again.

"News from the underground, miss!"

"Does it have anything to do with the rogues?"

He shook his head to put down the subject almost immediately. "It's about your daughter-in-law."

"Vitani?"

"She's gone into labor; I suspect you want to be there."

-X-

Banzai and the messenger looked around at the knocked out guard line and the numerous hyenas sniffing out their loved ones. Banzai watched as some of the hyenas wept in front of the dead hyenas. He couldn't really believe that there were hyenas that were lying dead because of Simba's pride.

"I can't believe all of this really happened while I was away" breathed Banzai. "It just seems so unlikely…And now that I'm here…It sort of feels unreal."

"Well believe it…That's the oppressing and destructive power of those filthy lions" spat one of the hyenas. "I don't even get why you ever even thought they had even a shred of compassion in them. They killed my mate!"

One of the hyenas stood up on a mass of rubble and called for their undivided attention. "This calls for justice! We must finish off those lions now before they make another move on us!" There were roars of agreement from every direction.

"Silence!" yelled Shenzi over the noise. It effectively quieted every one of them down. She approached Banzai with a deep scowl and a furious glare. "Banzai…That bird they said you killed, she was here today, among those lions."

Banzai froze up on the spot as all the other hyenas surrounded the royal couple. "Maybe she…she had a sister or something" he muttered lamely.

"I don't want to hear it." Shenzi shook her head as if she couldn't believe him; she paced around him as she chose her next words out carefully. "I know it was her, and I know you let her escape. She came back with _Simba's_ pride."

Banzai shut his eyes but didn't move an inch from the spot. "He…His pride…I thought he could make things the way they were. Before this battle…Before any of us had to risk our lives and suffer everyday anticipating a counter attack."

"Well because you let that rat with feathers escape, she came back with help" Shenzi spat. She stopped in front of him, causing him to open his eyes and look right into hers. "And they came with a counter attack."

"It was a mistake; I won't ever let it happen again…"

"The lion."

"What?"

"If that bird is still alive, then what about the lion, prince Jelani?"

"I won't lie." He shook his head, closed his eyes and then looked back at her. His voice was firm and calm as he was about to lie to her face once again. "I tried to help him. I brought Sauda into it, I dragged her into it, and she was only acting on my accord. But by then, it was too late, he died of blood loss. We buried him and that was it."

"Then where do the two of you disappear to almost every afternoon?"

"You and I both know the relationship between us and her since the day that rogue had broken her heart. We know how she has felt towards us and how she blames us for what happened even though she says it's fine. Unlike you…I want to patch things up with our daughter."

Shenzi was completely caught off guard by this strong accusation but she could only mutter quietly. "We have a second chance with Jambo."

"But that's not the same as our first chance." The two hyenas stood there in silence for a long time, every other hyena stood watching them nervously, as if they were afraid of what would come next. "I know the punishment for treason…But it's your pack, it's your decision" finalized Banzai.

Silence filled the space between them for the longest time before Shenzi turned away from her mate. She turned her back on her pack so they wouldn't see the tears roll down her cheeks. Despite that, she still kept her voice steady and calm. "…Den arrest…You will be kept under strict supervision until I say so otherwise…Take him away…"

Many of the hyenas felt conflicted, especially the ones that led Banzai away to a secluded den. It was quiet for a while then, and the tension was strong. "Just one last request" whispered Banzai before entering the den. "I want to speak with my daughter and Ed one last time…As well as that hyena I met years ago…The one that introduced me to prince Taka."

Shenzi nodded as she bit her lower lip. "I can't promise you anything, but I can try…"

-X-

Pumbaa thought back to all of Rafiki's teachings, if anything, the dream he had must resonate with something going on currently. He just hoped it would help them somehow. He breathed in deeply and slowly as he got ready to meditate. Rafiki told him that that would bring his visions into focus. "I just hope this works…" he muttered.

"_So…You're name is Banzai?" asked the little female hyena pup. She cocked her head to one side as she observed the other hyena pup in front of her. _

_The male pup nodded in response with a cocky grin. "Yup, and someday, I'm going to be the best fighter in the pack. No one, not even the matriarch's mate will be better than me!"_

"_Please, we live in a matriarchate society, everyone know that the females are better warriors than the males" scoffed Shenzi with a smug look. "I definitely know that _I'm_ a better fighter than _you _are."_

"_Oh, yeah?"_

"_Yeah!"_

_Banzai clenched his teeth and growled in mock menace. He pounced on her and they rolled around a bit until they stopped with Shenzi on top of him. "Pinned ya!" she smirked. "Now what do you say about that?"_

"_That was just dumb luck." Banzai angrily pushed himself upright and dusted himself off of the dirt from the ground. "And I never go all out on a girl. But if that was a real battle then I totally would've had you pinned."_

"_My mama says that luck is a part of skill too and she's one of the best fighters in the pack."_

"_Well I wasn't ready then."_

"You_ jumped _me_, in case you forgot. How can you be the one that wasn't ready?"_

"_I…I didn't stretch first!"_

"_Uh-huh, call me when you come up with a better excuse."_

_Banzai glared at her dominant expression. So he decided to stick with the immaturity. "Why should I ever call you for anything? Why would I _ever_ want to see some stuck up little girl like you anyways? You're annoying!"_

"_But so are you, if anything I think that makes us fun" smiled Shenzi. Her smug look was gone and it was replaced with sincerity. "And that's better than the other pups around here, they're all boring, snooty, or stupid, you're fun."_

"_Fun?"_

"_Yeah, not everything in the pack has to be about 'duty' or 'following orders'. Sometimes, us pups just need some time to cut loose…You know what, why don't we hang out tomorrow at the same time and place? It'll be fun!"_

_Pumbaa stared at this scene before him, it was strange, he had no idea what was going on. This was surely not a continuation of his dream from last night so why was he here? He gave a start when he felt a presence next to him. He turned and saw the present version of Banzai sitting near him with a sad look in his eyes. _

"_Of every memory I relive in my dreams…It's this one" said the old hyena. He chuckled a little and smiled at the younger versions of himself and his mate. "I will never forget those words she said to me. She looked so happy to be with me."_

_The young pup Banzai shook his head and his surprised look off his face. He replaced it with the same glare only it didn't have the same conviction as it did before. "S-So what? You think I'm just going to come just because you say something like that?"_

"_Whatever, I know you will, because I can tell…We think alike" giggled Shenzi._

_Suddenly the entire scene faded away into a bright white light so that only Pumbaa and present Banzai were there. It didn't seem like Banzai had noticed the warthog yet. "Could it be that I'm in your dream?" inquired Pumbaa out loud._

_Banzai's ears perked up and he turned around with a stunned expression. He stared stupidly at Pumbaa as the prey animal stared back with a similar expression. But then the hyena visibly relaxed._

"_I wasn't expecting to meet anyone here…But I guess now I can't have any privacy anywhere" smiled Banzai softly. _

"_Oh, I didn't mean to rudely barge into your dream!"_

"_Its fine, I doubt you were intending on entering my dream."_

_Pumbaa decided to put his brain to good use and thought of every possibility as to why his meditation would lead to an invasion into someone's mind. There was only one thing that he could think of, and it meant that he would have to accept his destiny. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "Has there been a problem between you and Shenzi lately?" he asked out of the blue._

"_Well that came out of nowhere."_

"_Actually…It didn't. Recently, I was told to be the next shaman of the Pride Lands…The shaman of love…I haven't accepted the title officially but if I do, I want to confirm that I deserve that title. If love really is my forte, then I think I have to somehow fix your relationship with Shenzi."_

_Banzai blinked a couple of times before chuckling to himself. The scene began to darken and they were in a similar location as they were before. "I'm surprised, after everything, you're still willing to help me. I don't really know what to say" sniffed Banzai. "But since you're here, I guess I'll show you a little bit more of my memories." _

_The area finally took form and Pumbaa could see an adolescent Shenzi leading a dark colored lion towards two male adolescent hyenas, presumably Banzai and Ed. "Um…What's going on here?" asked the warthog._

"_Despite what I said to her in the earlier scene, I went to meet her again. Ever since then, we've been together as best friends. This right now was about a month after Ed joined our pack, he wasn't behaving all stupid yet, he was just mute" explained Banzai._

_Shenzi stopped short a couple of yards back and told the lion to stay where he was. She bounded towards her friends with a friendly smile. "Hey, you guys!" she greeted with a cheeky grin._

"_Well, look who decided to show up" drawled Banzai. "I thought you were too busy with your new friend to hang out with us anymore." Ed hit him on the arm as a way to tell him to be more polite towards the female hyena._

"_I don't appreciate your attitude, and thank you Ed" chided Shenzi. She glanced over to where the lion was waiting. "I know I was wrong for standing you guys up a couple of times and ditching you all those other times, but I'm here to make up for it. I had a really good reason for keeping you guys in the dark about who my new friend was."_

"_Is it because he was your new boyfriend and you were afraid we'd embarrass you?" asked Banzai with a sly grin and a suggestive eyebrow dance._

"_I'm going to ignore that disgusting thought." Shenzi ran back to where she had left her friend and half led, half dragged him to the other two. The male hyenas froze on the spot when they saw the approaching lion. "Guys, this is-."_

"_Prince Taka" Banzai finished for her in a quiet voice. "Shenzi, are you crazy?! Our elders are going to be furious with you when they find out you dragged the lion prince into our lands."_

"_But Taka's really nice. And I'm sure they'll accept him once they realize that fact for themselves" protested Shenzi. She nudged the lion who was avoiding all eye contact whatsoever. "Go on and introduce yourself, shy guy."_

_Taka kept his gaze on the grass in between his front paws and didn't even bother looking up to greet them. "I-I'm Taka, it's really nice to finally get to meet you. I apologize for keeping your friend from you guys."_

"_Its fine" said Ed hoarsely. He had never been in the presence of royalty before and it had been quite some time since he last used his voice. "Being a prince must be very stressful; it's good to have a friend there for you."_

_Taka nodded in agreement as slight confidence welled up in him. "And you're Banzai right?" he asked as he turned to the other hyena. After receiving a nod of confirmation from him, he continued on. "I don't mean to get you or your friends in trouble or anything. It's just easier for me to get away from the responsibilities of my lifestyle."_

"…_Erm…I guess I can understand that…"_

_The scene changed once more but this time, it was like watching a slow montage of Taka and the hyenas together. Pumbaa took this as his cue to go back to ordinary conversation with the present Banzai. _

"_So, you, the other hyenas and Taka were like the best of friends, right?" asked Pumbaa._

_Banzai nodded and gave a faint smile. "Those were the good old days. When everything in life seemed perfect and nothing could go wrong. How wrong we were to think such a thing…As if that would happen…"_

_At these words, Pumbaa saw Zira corrupting Taka right before his eyes. He could hear different lies, twisted truths, and venomous speeches that were told to poison the prince's mind. It wasn't pleasant and it certainly gave Pumbaa a creepy feeling._

"_But when did Shenzi start changing herself. I want to know that and not how Taka became Scar since I already know how that happened" said Pumbaa._

"_We all changed when Taka became Scar" recalled Banzai. "We thought irrationally, became bloodthirsty, and turned our backs to the past. I think we changed back a little when Scar was killed in the end…by us. Everyone except myself…I knew we didn't kill Scar in the end…It was Taka." The hyena's voice cracked here and tears started to stream down his aged face. "We killed him…We were the ones…We murdered our best friend…"_

_Pumbaa was just about to ask for a clarification when Banzai's memories answered for him. The white area faded away to be replaced with an image of Scar begging for the hyenas to spare his life. However, these pleas were wasted as the hyenas mauled him, tearing him apart, trying to get any piece of him that they could._

_Right before a fatal claw pierced through Scar's body, the lion gave one last almost imperceptible smile. It was very faint but Pumbaa could hear Taka's last words to the hyenas. "I'm sorry…I failed you…My friends…"_

_None of the other hyenas heard him as they were too busy trying to gobble him up. But there was one that heard him, those last words. That very hyena stood there with a piece of the lion's mane under his paw. A single tear fell to the ground…This same hyena was bawling right next to Pumbaa._

"_He gave his life away in the end…He did all of it…All of it on purpose…Just so his nephew, just so Simba could redeem himself and take his rightful place on the throne!" cried Banzai. "He wanted to atone for his sins through death…And he knew, he knew that with everything he said about us that we would do it for him. He sacrificed himself for the good of his kingdom and we…We killed him! We're murderers!"_

"_Stop!" called Pumbaa, the scene evaporated before them and was replaced with the white blinding light once more. "It was stupid on Taka's part. You can't atone for your sins by dying; you can only do that by living. You can't fix anything by throwing your life away…It'll only cause more suffering."_

"_That doesn't change what happened…"_

"_No, it doesn't. But who says changing the past will do anything, if you can't change the past then make your future. That's what I say! Maybe Taka was hoping you, Shenzi, and Ed would live life for him. Therefore, he wants you to be happy, are you going to do that by standing here and crying?"_

_Banzai remained silent but shook his head to show that he was listening to him. "Because of what you heard, you changed for the better Banzai. I promise, I will find a way to change Shenzi back into the hyena you love. She may never be the same but that doesn't mean that your feelings won't" said Pumbaa._

"_But…how?"_

"_I'll find a way…Love _always _finds a way."_

-X-

**Okay, I'm pretty sure some of you are wondering what happened with Mohatu and Jolina's back story, well I'll get back to it in a later chapter, trust me. So that's pretty much it, feedback will be greatly appreciated. PLEASE REVIEW OR I'LL GO BONKERS!**


	16. Conversations by Sunset

**Sorry, I'm still a little bit more late than usual with updates. My schedule has been a huge mess; I've been a little lazy with my homework so I take extra time doing it. Don't worry, I won't stop this story but I have to ask, how come this story has like four times less views than the previous one? Well, I've kept you all waiting long enough. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

-X-

Tamina wearily opened her eyes and saw nothing but a large blur in front of her. She blinked a couple times but her vision only cleared up a little. She knew that the face that was staring back at her own was a meerkat but she definitely recognized his voice. "Timon, is that you?"

"Yeah it's me" the blurry meerkat replied. "You need your rest, you caught a pretty bad fever sometime last night and if you don't lie back down, you won't get better quickly. And I know you're hoping to kick some hyena butt!"

Tamina knew that this was a very lame attempt at cheering her up but there was always that additional 'Timon charm' that just made it work for him. She gave a half-hearted chuckle as she tried to sit up. "I'll be fine if I'm just sitting, I'm pretty sure lying down isn't necessary in my recovery. But, thank you Timon…I appreciate you looking out for me…Although I promised Ma that I'd be the one looking after you."

"We're both capable of taking care of ourselves. But a little help from someone else doesn't hurt."

Tamina smiled in what she thought to be the direction of Timon. It became embarrassing when Timon moved her head a little to the left so that she could be looking at him directly. He took a leaf bowl with water in it.

"Here, have a drink of water."

"My throat _does_ feel a little dry."

Timon let the edge of the bowl touch her lip but she pushed it away almost immediately. "Wait, did you get this from the ocean? I smell salt."

"I didn't get this from the ocean."

"Then why does it smell salty?"

"That scent you smell is coming from the ocean itself. The cavern we're in faces the ocean and the breeze comes in."

"Well thanks for making me feel stupid."

"Welcome to my world. Now drink."

Tamina took the bowl from his grasp after gripping about in the air for a bit. The moment she took a sip, they heard approaching footsteps, they sounded much to loud to be a meerkat so it was most likely the negotiation party that had just returned from hyena territory.

"How did it go?" asked Tamina. Her vision had finally cleared up enough so that she could see things fairly well as long as they were within a six-foot radius of her line of vision. She was facing Kopa who had walked up to them.

"Oh, it went great. The hyenas had decided to agree immediately before we even arrived, as a matter of fact, they gave us their leftovers from their breakfast" said Kopa sarcastically. "How do you think it went? Some of us came back caked in hyena or our own blood and there are injuries on several of us."

"In my defense, my vision hasn't fully come back yet and I have a pretty high fever so I'm not really paying much attention to anything" Tamina told him. "But once I'm better, I'll be ready to enter the battlefield and take down those mangy mutts!"

"Battle was one thing we were trying to avoid" Simba pointed out as he approached his son and the meerkats. "What's more, it seems prince Jelani is still alive out there. We plan on searching for him and bringing him back before the matriarch gets a hold of him."

"If Jelani is out there, then let me search for him" offered Chaka, butting into the conversation as well. "Jelani is my best friend, I know him better than anyone; I'm the best option for the job."

Malka frowned and shook his head in disagreement. "As much as I agree with you that you know Jelani more that anyone, I can't have you risk your life in this rescue mission. He's safe somewhere right now, and that's what matters. He knows how to lie low so the hyenas won't be able to get him so easily."

"But there's still the possibility that he could still be captured" interjected Chaka. "He could be held for blackmail, forcing you to sacrifice your throne and the rest of your kingdom…The rest of our home. We _have_ to find him!"

"You know Jelani more than anybody, you said so yourself! You and I both know what he's capable of, he won't be caught so easily!"

"But he can still be caught" said Kula as she took Chaka's side. "It's not a matter of how easy he can get caught; it's a matter of_ if_ he gets caught. First hearing that your own son is dead and then having the revelation that he's still living must be doing a number on your brain."

"Kula!" chided Tama. But stopped when she noticed how Kula wasn't being bitter but more like her old self. Kula wasn't trying to be mean; she was siding with Chaka and showing that he was right.

"Let Chaka look for him, it can't hurt, as a matter of fact, one more could be of help to us" continued Kula once everyone around her had stopped and started listening to her. "I'll go with him if it'll ease your conscience a little. Besides, sending him on an espionage mission so close to the hyenas didn't bother you, why should this be any different? We'll gather more info on the hyenas while we're at it."

This surprised many of the Pridelanders who all knew Kula to be rude and unmotivated, at least, ever since Jua was brought to Hasani's side. The previous Kula would've never had thought about helping another creature from a foreign land.

Kopa walked up to her side and began looking her over. As if he was looking for a physical change to her being rather than a mental or emotional one. "Are you okay, did you hit your head on something? Or did someone that looks like you, kidnap the old you, and is only pretending to be you?"

"You lost me Kopa" Tamina shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'm just like you. I've been taken into the light and I'm going to do something about it" said Kula. "I'm tired of moping and sulking over my brother, doing that won't change anything. After this, I'm going to take the initiative and search for him. I know what it's like to lose someone dear to me…I don't plan on letting someone else go through the same thing."

Chaka smiled at the lioness who returned it. "Thank you Kula."

"No prob."

A quiet atmosphere befell them before Malka said in a quiet voice. "But what if…What if something happens to you two? I'm not sure if I could manage that…"

"We won't die, we'll come back alive" promised Kula. "Besides, Jelani won't come back if there's no one waiting for him."

Malka finally relented and allowed them permission to go but only if they stayed as far away from hyena territory as possible. The two of them promised and they decided to take Tama with them. The three of them took off after having a short meal and were gone by sunset.

"Was that really Kula?" asked Kopa towards his father.

"It's always been Kula, I guess you just never saw her before" chuckled Simba.

-X-

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! That really hurts!" Zazu winced as Pumbaa applied a funky smelling goop onto his crushed wing. He had been carried back to the refugee camp by Kopa after the brouhaha in the matriarch's chamber.

"Sorry, I don't really have that same 'tender touch' as Rafiki does. But that's mostly because I have hooves" apologized Pumbaa sheepishly. "But don't worry, this cream should be able to relieve any pain you still have in that wing in an hour or two."

"Thank you Pumbaa, and I'm sorry for any negative or rude thing I've ever said to you" grinned Zazu.

"You've said bad things about me?"

"Well…Behind your back and in my thoughts."

"Oh…"

"But I take them all back now!"

"Its fine, I know I don't really make a good impression with anyone. Actually, you're the only one so far to admit it and apologize for it. So thank you…" mused Pumbaa with a small smile. "I need to go get some more bandages, Zahina, I need you to watch over Zazu for a bit." He turned away and went to get more bandages, leaving the two hornbills alone.

"He really is a nice guy" Zahina commented.

"He really is…" agreed Zazu. He then turned his full attention on the female bird and took on a much more serious tone. "Are you all right? You're not hurt anywhere are you?"

"Zazu I'm fine…You're the one that got hurt, not me…Although if it weren't for me then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Don't talk like that. Besides, with the pride I work with, I'd be more surprised if I didn't get hurt."

"Still…This is the second time you've saved my life…I just don't know how I can ever repay you for all the kindness you've treated me with when I only bring you to near death situations" sniffed Zahina. Even though she tried to hold it in, she couldn't help feeling the wellspring of water trying to break through her eyes.

"Come now Zahina, you're a grown hornbill, there's no need to cry" chided Zazu. But he stopped himself short, he was talking to Zahina as if she was a child, he had adopted this tone ever since he became majordomo.

No wonder the cubs he always babysat thought he was annoying and in turn, he reciprocated their emotions. He should know by now that it's better to be a little less formal when such a thing isn't necessary. He didn't need his walls of formality and responsibility around Zahina, he just needed to be himself.

He wrapped his wings around Zahina and pulled her into a sweet embrace which surprised her. She was even more surprised when she felt a lone, warm tear slide onto her back from him. "Please don't cry, Zahina…It breaks my heart when you do and then I begin to cry. I don't want you to think that it's your fault I got hurt, if anything, it's my fault that I wasn't strong enough to protect you."

Zahina could feel the tears coming out of her like a waterfall now as she returned his embrace. It was a true wonder for their frames to fit together like puzzle pieces. And it made them both feel warm with their feathers around each other.

Pumbaa smiled to himself when he saw this from behind the cover of a tree. He looked up at the sky and noticed the first few stars starting to break through from the flimsy wall of orange light. It was faint but he saw a shooting star race by."The shaman of love…When he is around, everyone will feel that love…I wonder…."

-X-

The first sound that flooded the cave were those of a newborn cub taking his first breath of air and its crying little voice as it bounced off the walls. Nala smiled towards her daughter-in-law and second grandson, Neo. He was named after his late grandfather and had inherited the dark colors of his mother and the royal red mane color of his other grandfather.

"He's beautiful" Kiara commented.

The next ones to see this newborn were Kovu and his two cubs who had just entered the den after being granted entrance from Rafiki. They walked over to the newest addition to their family.

"Aw, he's so cute!" chimed Kioni. "It's like having a younger brother!"

"You're still pretty young yourself and you're still cute as well" reminded Nala.

"I know!" bounced Kioni.

Nala's smile vanished when she noticed the tension between father and son, also known as Kovu and Kito. After she had told Kioni to play with auntie Vitani and cousin Neo, she moved over to her son-in-law and grandson.

"Okay, what's going on between you two?" she started.

"Nothing really…We just sort of got into a little argument just a little bit earlier" explained Kiara. "And…Well…I'm not sure what we're going to do."

Nala sighed knowing that the first few weeks of parenthood were always rough. She bent down so that she could look at Kito in the eyes. "Kito, why don't you tell grandma Nala what's wrong. It might make you feel better."

Kito wanted to stay true to his current silent persona but relented reluctantly nonetheless. "Mama and papa are always so worried about me and they never let me do anything on my own or for fun. It makes me wonder if they even care about Uncle Kopa or grandpa Simba."

"One part of a parents' job is to worry and fret over their cubs" began Nala. "We sometimes smother them a bit too much but we only do it out of love, nothing less. They do worry about Kopa and Simba all the time, but sometimes, other things must take priority in their minds. As the heirs to the throne, they worry about the rest of the royal family, as parents…They will always worry about you."

"But…Can't they worry a little less sometimes?"

"Of course they can…It's just hard to. Don't worry, when you're older then they'll let you do more stuff on our own."

"Make them promise!"

Nala chuckled to herself as she leaned up to her original height. She looked over to the parents of the cubs she was just speaking to. "Do you two promise that you'll give Kito a little more freedom when he's older? I know what you two had promised your cubs when they were born and I want to make sure you keep to those promises."

The royal couple looked down at Kito with their decision already in mind. "Of course we'll give you more freedom Kito. We overreacted before, we just heard many stories about how some cubs get into a lot of danger…We just didn't want the same to happen to you" said Kovu.

"We promise that but only if you promise to be more careful. If something ever happened to you then I don't know what we'd do. You are a large part of us…Just remember that" added Kiara.

"I will mama…papa…" promised Kito. With that he leaped in between Kiara's forelegs and nuzzled into her chest. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"You jumped through a lot of mud and dirt today, it looks like it's time for your bath" Kiara noticed.

"Oh, wait, no! Please!" Kito struggled as she began to wash him, although he was smiling.

Kovu chuckled at the sight but was then called over by his sister. "Kovu, come over here and meet your nephew already" called Vitani. The prince walked over to her and crouched down for a better view of Neo.

"So you and Kopa agreed to name him Neo if he was a boy?" Kovu inquired.

Vitani nodded as she returned her attention back towards her son who was blindly clutching around for something until it found Kioni's paw. "I told him that I wanted to name the cub Neo if it turned out to be a boy, after our father" smiled Vitani.

"I never got to know him, did I?" He was more stating a fact rather than asking a question to which Vitani nodded again. "What was he like?"

"I don't really remember much but I do know that he was a very loving father. Even towards Nuka who wasn't even his biological son. He cared for me and treated me with so much love, you too even before you were born. He was also very brave for standing up to mother and very wise. I was told that he would do anything to protect the ones he loves…And that he hoped we would do the same" reminisced Vitani with a bittersweet smile.

"He sounds like a much better father figure than Scar ever was."

"He was, and he is, too bad Scar never got a chance to be Taka again at his death. Maybe he could've been spared and then lead those hyenas in the Western Kingdom to a better lifestyle. Then again, we might not be where we are now if that didn't happen."

"Those hyenas didn't follow Scar though, they followed Taka because he was their friend and they loved him" pointed out Kovu. "Maybe if they knew that Scar changed back to Taka in the very end then they might've been different. They would've been the hyenas that Taka would've wanted them to be."

Vitani frowned upon hearing this logic. "Sure I guess, but he wasn't Taka, he was Scar until the very end. Man, this is confusing. I still can't help thinking they're the same lion."

"I'm confused too" giggled Kioni.

At this moment, Sierra and Afua just came in to see Neo for their own eyes. Kovu stood up to allow them passage and then walked over to Kiara and Nala. "Nala, I need to ask a favor or you if you're okay with it" said the prince.

"Sure, what can I do for you?" asked Nala.

"I want to go to the Western Kingdom and help Simba fight off those hyenas. I think I have a way of helping them that no one else there can" said Kovu.

"But Kovu, father told you to look over the pride" interjected Kiara.

"I know that, but I also know that I wasn't ready. I overwork myself and overexert my entire being. But if I can just help them with this one thing, I'd know I accomplished something. So please, Nala, if you can just allow me to go and help them while you watch over the pride in my stead…I'd be eternally grateful" pleaded Kovu.

"Right now, you are the leader of this pride, what you say goes as long as the advisers agree on your decision. Considering most of the advisers are at the Western Kingdom, I guess you just have to go there and ask for permission from them yourself" smiled Nala.

It only took a minute for Kovu to fully comprehend what Nala had just said. "Thank you Nala, I'll be back as soon as I can with Simba and the rest of our pride." He then looked over at his mate to see what she would say.

"I guess if mother is okay with this then I am too. But please come back safely…Your family and I will be waiting for you" said Kiara.

"Don't worry about me" breathed Kovu as he gave her a loving nuzzle. He turned back to his mother-in-law as he got ready to go. "Please make sure the pride is all right by the time I get back. I love you all for letting me do this."

With that, he was off streaking off towards the west with his family watching his shrinking form. It was almost as if he was vanishing with the setting sun.

"Where's Kovu off too at this hour?" asked Afua.

"He's going to the Western Kingdom to assist Simba and Kopa" relayed Nala with a smile. "But don't worry; I'll have everything under control. Now why don't we leave Vitani and her son alone for a bit, she needs her rest."

-X-

Sauda and Jambo had just left Jelani while the sun was setting so that she could check on her father. When she entered the dining chamber for supper, she noticed the grim atmosphere that had befallen everybody. She noticed Ed leaving the hallway that connected towards the dungeon chamber where they kept prisoners and traitors. She ran over to him to find out what was happening.

"Uncle Ed! What's happened, do you know where father is?" she asked quickly.

But before Ed could answer in any way shape or form, Shenzi came over to them. "Ed, have you finished talking to him?" she asked.

He nodded in response and she dismissed him to his chamber. He walked away from mother and daughter but gave Sauda this one last sad glance as if he felt sorry for her or something. Once he was gone, Shenzi turned towards her daughter.

She led Sauda through the halls that led to the dungeon before striking up an awkward conversation with her. "Where's Jambo?" she decided to ask first.

"He's in his chamber, asleep" Sauda replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Out of curiosity I guess" shrugged Shenzi before moving on to the real topic. "You must've heard the ruckus from earlier today. Well…About that...erm...event. Your father wants to talk to you about something."

"Then why are we going into the dungeons?" Sauda was starting to fear and see where this was going. And she was right, she saw her father in a penned up room where there was only one slim opening which was guarded by two hyenas on either side.

"He has been found to be a traitor for saving the life of this lands' majordomo and allowing her to get help from the Eastern Kingdom."

Sauda couldn't help gasping in shock and surprise. "But even so, he's your mate. How can you just keep him in there? He deserves a proper trial!"

"Sauda!" shouted Banzai to silence her before Shenzi could. Their daughter turned a solemn head towards her father who waved her over to him. She approached him slowly and was caught off guard again when he wrapped an arm around her.

"It's fine…I'm fine…You don't need to fight a hopeless battle. I've been tried for treason already…There's nothing you can do to relinquish that judgment" he softly said into her warm fur. Unlike the smell of dirt and decay which was on most hyenas, she smelled like fresh air and morning dew, it reminded him so much of the innocence he didn't want to be tarnished.

Sauda tightened her hold on her father and began to sob onto his shoulder. Her tears rolled down his back and sank into his fur. "But…You don't deserve this…Please…I know I never said it but I love you daddy, more than anything in this entire world."

It was the first time in years since Sauda had called him 'daddy' instead of 'father'. It took him back to his younger days and he broke down crying into his daughter's warm and sweet-smelling fur.

Shenzi stared at them for so long before she came up to a conclusion. They looked so much like a family that was unrecognizable to her, a family long since forgotten in her memories. It made her think that she could never be a part of that family again.

-X-

**This is my attempt to make a chapter as dramatic as possible. I started with a more loose and comedic chapter and made a slow shift to a more intense atmosphere. I hope you all enjoyed it and please give me some feedback. Hearing your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. One last thing, the next chapter will go back to Mohatu's story.**


	17. Who I Am

**To LittleTiger, yes, lew leon is a writer and even though his style of writing is completely different from mine, I recommend his stories to my readers. Now that that's out of the way, I'm glad that there are those of you that like baby Neo and as I had mentioned in my last chapter, this chapter is returning to Mohatu's story. I get that this is confusing with all the back and forth so I'll tell you now, this will most likely be the most confusing part of my Lion King: Five Part Series. Review!**

-X-

"_Okay, I think you've led me far enough away from the pride, so can you tell me where we're going now?" asked Jolina as she followed Mohatu to some unknown destination. _

"_Just follow me, I don't want to ruin the surprise" chided Mohatu._

_After a couple feet further, Mohatu halted suddenly, causing the lioness to stop right behind him. "Whoa, don't just stop so abruptly like that! I almost bumped into your butt and I don't think I'd like that very much" she said to him in a partially accusing tone._

"_Sorry, it's just that, well, we're here."_

"_Define here. All I see is a wall of ivy in front of us and grass everywhere else."_

_Mohatu shushed her as a way of telling her that it's a surprise. She was getting a little tired and annoyed of that but she also found it cute somehow. He parted the wall of ivy and gave her a knowing look. "Just step through and you'll see the surprise for your own eyes."_

_Jolina was a little wary of walking through a nature-made curtain where she had no idea where it led but out of every lion, she trusted Mohatu the most. She walked through the parted wall of ivy and gasped at the sight._

"_Welcome to a place I like to call, Starlight Cliff" smiled Mohatu as he walked to her side._

_At this cliff, there was a perfect view of the night sky. It was clear of clouds and glittered with shining stars. There were also numerous fireflies rising from the sea of trees underneath their paws. It was a like a marriage of moving and still lights, a perfect dance to the sounds of the night._

"_It's magnificent! I can't believe you never showed me this until now!" Jolina exclaimed in ecstasy._

"_Well…It's for a special occasion…" mused Mohatu._

"_Is it your birthday or something?"_

"_No, nothing like that" the king turned his head so that he was looking at her. Jolina felt his eyes on her so she turned and looked back at him. "It's been six months since you've been here and I wanted you to see this. I thought it'd be the perfect chance to tell you…"_

"_Tell me what?"_

"_I know what you said, how you didn't trust males because of that rogue. Well, I can't take it anymore. With each passing day I just…I start to lose more and more control every time I see you, every time I hear your voice or see you smile. Even though I've known you for such a short time, I feel like I've been sharing my life with you, like we're connected in some way. It's confusing, I know, I'm not fully sure I understand what I just said, but I do know that…"_

"_I love you" they said simultaneously._

"_As confusing as you think that speech was, I understood it perfectly. Probably because that's exactly how I feel" smiled Jolina. "I don't think there would be any other lion I would want to share my life with other than you…"_

_Mohatu knew he was smiling and he knew he must've looked like a fool with such a wide smile plastered on his face, but he didn't care at this moment…because this was their moment. The two lions leaned closer to each other as their eyes fluttered closed. And when their faces were just a centimeter away from each other, Jolina pulled back abruptly._

"_What's that smell?" inquired Jolina. _

_Mohatu didn't notice the slight tone of panic hidden in those words. He just thought about his dinner from earlier. "Sorry, I had some fish for dinner and I guess the rotting scent of it is still…"_

_He was cut off quickly by the lioness in front of him. "Not that!" She parted the curtain and gasped. "Mohatu, look!"_

_The king of the Pride Lands looked out and saw wildfire spreading in the distance. Not very close to _them_ but dangerously close to Pride Rock. It didn't take long for the two lions to spring into action. They raced across the grasslands, avoiding the fire, only focusing on saving the pride._

_They reached Pride Rock and were completely tired out but they didn't even take a second to rest. "Everyone wake up! There's a fire and it's going to come here!" shouted Mohatu which immediately woke up their pride-mates._

"_That doesn't sound good" muttered one of them irately but didn't waste any time staying on the ground._

_The pride ran out of the den to see the glowing embers coming closer towards them. "We need to find cover somewhere else or climb up to the peak of Pride Rock!" suggested a lioness loudly._

"_That won't help; the fire will just climb the ivy that's grown on the rock itself. We need to cut that down first" countered another lioness._

"_Quiet!" roared Mohatu. He looked them over to make sure that they were all there in the first place and realized one lion missing. "Where's Hondari?! He was here, asleep, before Jolina and I had left. Where is he?"_

"_Mohatu, calm down, I'll search for him, he's most likely at his tree anyway" assured Jolina. "It's your duty to take care of the pride, I'm just going to do whatever it takes to make sure everyone is safe. I'll be back as soon as I can!"_

_Before the king could even stop her, she ran off towards the woods. Jolina had herself alert and kept her eyes darting left and right. She knew that a fire like this couldn't have happened naturally, it just wasn't possible without lightning and the skies were perfectly clear of storm clouds. That's when she saw him._

_The same lion that had tried to take his lustful desires out on her, but it wasn't just him; there was an entire army with him. They were running down the incline towards Pride Rock, all ready for a full-scale war. It's finally happened; the war has finally arrived to this kingdom._

_She stopped and turned her head, knowing that she would get caught by the enemy, but she didn't care, she just knew she had to do this for her new family. She took in a deep breath of the cold night air and released it in the loudest roar she could muster._

_Mohatu had told her that if she were to ever encounter any trouble in the Pride Lands, to roar just like that and he and the rest of the pride will come running for her. She just hoped they would stay and fight _instead_ of go after her._

-X-

_The pre-adolescent lion's ears perked up when he heard the roar of a lioness echoing off the walls. After that roar was gone, it was replaced by the sound of rapid rushing water. He looked around and found himself at Zulu Falls._

_How he got there? He had no idea. Why he was there? He had no idea. _

_All he knew was that there was a waterfall in front of him and that a lioness just roared from very far away. The lion was just about to run back towards the Pride Lands when a voice stopped him. He had never heard it before but it was also very familiar._

_He turned around and saw the ghostly form of a lion, one that he had never seen before yet he knew exactly who it was. "King and Shaman Simba…The greatest of rulers of the Southern Kingdom…" whispered the lion._

_The spirit only nodded once before mysteriously walking right into Zulu Falls. The pre-adolescent was dumbstruck but he didn't hesitate to step into the cold water and walk right through the falls. He found himself in a cave behind the waterfall where the spirit was waiting for him._

"_You will face many trials as you start your journey to become the first shaman to govern a great king. The first will be to accept who you are. You are the Shaman of Courage but you are also the prince. Before becoming a shaman, you must accept your title as prince with pride. Then you can live up to the title, Shaman of Courage" said the spirit before fading away. The cave was suddenly filled with darkness but the voice remained. "I came here once because I saw you here in the stars."_

"_The stars?" inquired the lion but there was no answer. Instead the cave was soon filtered with moonlight from the outside. It was still rather dim but as his eyes adjusted, his breath was taken away. All over the walls was a map of the stars, every constellation, every light, every story. He didn't have to ask how these came to being, he knew how. "I am Hondari, prince of the Pride Lands and the Shaman of Courage."_

-X-

_Mohatu knew exactly what the roar meant as soon as it had reached his ears. He turned his head around and saw scores of lions approaching them. They had been so preoccupied with bringing down vines that they hadn't noticed the actual situation._

"_Jolina" was his first reaction. His second reaction involved addressing the working pride. "Everybody cease your efforts! There is a pride coming this way, prepare for battle! We must protect our home!"_

_All of the lions stopped and noticed the approaching lions and began to assemble into a battle formation. Mohatu instructed two of the lionesses to search for the Jolina and another two to look for Hondari. The rest of them made their way towards the enemy._

-X-

_The rogue she had met months ago; turned and saw her. Jolina immediately turned tail and ran as fast as she could. However, she was unable to outrun the rogue who was still fresh from arriving while she had been running a lot just a bit earlier._

_He pinned her down with her stomach on the uneven ground. She struggled as much as she could to escape his grasp but he just wouldn't let go. He turned her around and knocked the wind out of her with a punch to the stomach._

"_Be quiet or the next thing I'll punch will be your neck. And I'll make sure I'll go right through" he threatened menacingly._

_She could barely regain her breath never mind stare back at him with an intimidating glare. He only laughed at her failed attempts. "You…b-better…paws off me! …or you'll pay!" she gasped out. That had to have been the most pitiful attempt to a threat she has ever made but she didn't know what else to say._

"_Right, I'll pay, you have me shaking out of my fur" he scoffed snidely. "Now why don't you keep quiet so we can finish what we started all those months ago?" He licked his lips in a very longing manner and his eyes spoke volumes of hot desire._

_Jolina reacted instantly by pushing him off of her by using both her back legs to kick him in the stomach. He flew backwards and landed painfully on jagged rocks. She knew she couldn't outrun him so she decided she would have to at least cripple him._

_She pounced at him and sank her jaws into his right hind leg. He roared in pain and twisted himself around to give her a kick in the face with his other leg. He then lunged at her and pinned her to the ground once more, locking her legs to the ground._

_She kept struggling in his grasp until he clawed her exposed stomach and drew blood. She roared agonizingly as the inside of her flesh touched the stinging night air. She was breathing heavily and gasping to get air into her lungs._

"_I'm not going to let you get away so easily this time" he growled. "I never thought you'd find your way to this new kingdom…It's such a pity it has to be destroyed. I was planning on leaving no lion alive but you can be the exception if you agree to be my little slave."_

"_I'd never agree to such a thing!" she snarled back. "You'll have to kill me along with the rest of my pride."_

"_From what I heard, this isn't your pride. You're just an outsider…Someone they can't trust. All I have to do is say the word and they'll believe me…"_

"_What word?"_

"_That you were a spy for me."_

"_They'd never believe such a thing!"_

"_Won't they? Haven't you learned your lesson about lions you don't know? You just can't trust them."_

_Jolina only smirked and she surprised herself with how confident she was about this despite the fact that she could barely move. "You don't know this pride. They're different…They'll win this battle and you'll be going home with nothing but the fur on your back."_

_He snarled and smacked her across the face with his paw and his claws unsheathed. It stung her badly but she didn't get rid of her smug look. If she was going to die, then she should at least have the last laugh._

"_You should wipe that smirk off your face before I rip it off myself!" he snapped angrily._

"_Somebody's got some anger issues to work out."_

_He roared and was just about to deliver a crushing blow to her head when one of the lionesses that Mohatu had sent to search for her jumped in. She leaped over the male's head and grabbed his paw, using her momentum and her weight; she threw him off balance and flung him away from his target. _

"_Jolina, are you okay? Can you stand?" inquired the other lioness while the first stood protectively in between them._

_Jolina nodded as she tried to slow her racing heart. Despite all the confidence she had when confronting the rogue, she was shaking in fright like a newborn on a stormy night. But instead of thunder she could only hear her heartbeat booming in her ears._

"_You better stay away from Jolina or you're going to get it!" growled the lioness that had thrown herself at the rogue._

_The male wobbled a bit as he stood back up with his back leg lying useless and limp behind him. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered and horribly crippled, he still wasn't planning on backing down. "Oh, Jolina, are these your little friends? It's an honor to meet you two." His words were in mock happiness, the subtext, unspeakable rage. _

"_Sure, sarcasm, that'll get you far" mocked the lioness._

"_Jolina, who is this guy?" asked the other lioness that Jolina was leaning against._

"_He doesn't have any real name, or at least, that's what he told me. So he just goes by what everyone calls him, Rogue. Nothing less, nothing more" Jolina told them as her breathing levels had been evened out again._

"_Rogue, huh, how fitting. You've lived like a rogue, so die like one" smirked the defending lioness._

_Rogue's stoic expression didn't show any signs of changing one way or another. He stood his ground despite his injuries and in one swift movement; he was in front of her. He jaws found her windpipe before the other two lionesses even realized what had happened._

_The lioness lay limp in his mouth with her eyes wide open in shock. But nothing else showed, they were just completely dead. Rogue tossed her corpse over to the side without giving it a second glance, only keeping his eyes on his last two victims._

"_But, how? I crippled you, and it's not possible for any creature to move so fast" gasped out Jolina._

"_I took some precautions before arriving here. I left poisonous barbs around here on the ground, all three of you have stepped in them and the effects settle in fast. It's not deadly but it slows down all your senses as well as your mobility. Believe me, I moved like a slug but your eyes just couldn't catch my movement."_

"_But…If they were barbs then we should've felt them!" interjected the other lioness._

"_When you've been stuck by one of these barbs, you don't even realize it" laughed Rogue. "They're not only blunt but the poison seeps in immediately, the part of your body that touched it will go numb right after a tiny little prick. It doesn't matter how sharp or painful it should be; you won't feel it!"_

"_Then why are you unaffected?"_

"_I took a vaccine so that the poison wouldn't affect me. So don't even bother trying to formulate a plan of escape, you'll both be dead soon."_

_The two lionesses could feel fear gripping their hearts as their minds raced to think of a plan of some sort. Before either of them knew what was happening, Rogue was in front of Jolina prepared to crush the life out of her._

"_Stay away from her!" shouted a young voice._

_Hondari leaped out of the bushes and onto Rogue's back. He dug his claws as deep in as he could causing the much bigger lion to roar in pain. He flung the pre-adolescent lion off of him and was about to cut him down with a powerful swipe when another presence arrived._

_King Mohatu barreled right into the enemy lion's side which caused him to skid on the ground and crash into a tree. Rogue growled angrily as he struggled to get his center of gravity back into align._

"You stay away from my family_!" said Mohatu, placing rage-filled emphasis on every word. "And leave the Pride Lands or suffer the consequences!"_

_Rogue glanced behind the king's shoulder and saw his troops beginning to retreat but not before wrecking the lands real good. He could see the bodies of several lions, most were unrecognizable to him which was definitely good. The fire was diminishing as well, as buckets of rain started to pour down from the sky._

"_Fine, but know this. All of the prides are in this war, there is no reason for yours to hesitate to join in on the fun" sneered Rogue._

"_There's nothing fun about watching your pride-mates die. This entire war had nothing to do with us in the first place!" growled Mohatu._

"_Why not? Your father is in this war, is he not?"_

"_I don't mean my pride has nothing to do with this war. I mean us, lions, we have nothing to do with this, and we got ourselves involved in something we didn't need to. This all started because a group of hyenas assassinated a prince and then the pride of that prince attacked the pride that housed this group of hyenas. All of this began because of the actions of another species; there was no need for the Great Kingdoms to go to war with each other!"_

_Rogue actually had the nerve to laugh at this as if it was all some ridiculous fairytale told by a little cub with the most insane imagination. "You really believed that?! That story was nothing more than a rumor that I had started! I killed that prince! The prince of my pride! I lied to my pride, telling them it was hyenas and they were foolish enough to believe it!"_

"_What!" gasped Mohatu in shock. "But why?!"_

"_Because I wanted out of my life! Haven't you ever wondered if there was more to life than the same old cycle every day? Something different?" inquired Rogue with an expression of madness. "Haven't you ever wanted to see war before your eyes, to see the effect of death? Haven't you ever wanted to be the one to start something…enormous?"_

"_You're insane!" Mohatu remarked._

"_Maybe I am. But what I truly want is a new world to be reborn from the ashes of this war! I want a world that I can control. Where every lioness can be mine, where every cub is a slave to me, where every lion is slaughtered and thrown away to rot!"_

_Mohatu gave a mighty roar and Rogue only turned and ran off cackling in the night. The king ran over to his nephew and helped him and then ran over to Jolina and the other lioness. They all turned to look at the destruction that was left behind by Rogue and his army._

_There was no doubt that the citizens of the kingdom will want revenge or desire the taste of victory after coming so close to defeat. It was too late, the damage was done. The Pride Lands were now involved in the war._

-X-

It had been a few days since the 'negotiations' and the combined prides were on edge as they anticipated an attack from anywhere. It became too difficult for them to sleep and they became excessively worried about Jelani, Chaka, Kula, and Tama.

Pumbaa gave a sigh of relief as he finally finished retelling his dreams to Timon. He decided that it was time to tell someone at least and who better than his best friend? "What do you think it could mean?" asked Timon.

"It could be a premonition or even a warning" suggested Pumbaa after some thought.

Timon rubbed his hand on his chin as he thought about it for a while before coming to another conclusion. "That could be…Saying how Hasani plans on starting a huge war so he could create a new world from the aftermath, his Utopia. But I also think that this dream was meant for you as well, Pumbaa."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to accept who you are before taking on your duties as the Shaman of Love."

"Well, what is it that I have to accept about myself?"

"That you're a prey animal, predators need you so that they can survive. For the longest time, you tell yourself that you hated those hyenas that killed your family. But think for a minute…Did they do what they did because they wanted to make you suffer or so that they could live?"

"…I never thought about it that way…"

"There's your answer buddy. Now if you excuse me, I have to check on Tamina."

Pumbaa waited until his best friend was out of view before making a trek towards hyena territory. He didn't plan on crossing the borders but he had something to do. When he reached the outskirts of the hyena lands, he stopped and pressed his hoof into the soft dirt. He wrote in the universal shaman language, "I am a prey animal and the Shaman of Love…And I forgive you…"

-X-

**I hope this was a sufficient chapter for the long wait. I know it's been two weeks but I've been crazy busy. Anyway, I noticed that a lot of reviews have a certain element in common. So let me say this, you guys are right, something bad will happen in the Pride Lands but it's not what you think. That's all for now, leave a review! Until next time!**


	18. Hyena Viewpoint

**Here is the newest chapter to the Story of the Stars. I will now be reentering the present time. The history lesson from the previous chapter will not be continued until later. Hope you're all ready for what's about to come. Read and review!**

-X-

Ed raised a paw to stop his hunting party. The rest of them froze as they waited for his next signal which was to indicate which creature was their target. After that would be the signal for who does what. The final signal was the time to strike.

The group of canines eyed the herd of zebra hungrily as they waited for the right moment…And there it was! The second signal. The group dispersed into two, the smaller one slinked to the other side of the herd while Ed's team waited patiently.

After a few minutes, the hyenas in the smaller group leaped out of the tall grass and gave chase to the fleeing zebras. The herd was in panic so it became difficult for Ed's team to see what was happening but they still waited.

Ed's eyes darted left and right, keeping watch of where the separated herds were moving. He noticed two zebras running into a small canyon to reach the other side. It was the smallest group of zebras but he didn't need to haul in the entire herd. Two would do for now.

After he gave the signal, his team rushed out from the hiding spot and ran after the stray zebras. The smaller group chased after another group of zebras but only targeting a few of them.

Ed's team continued until they were inside the crevice and that's when he noticed that it wasn't a canyon but more of a U-shaped rock wall. Their prey was trapped with no escape, this made it much easier for the hunting party.

'_Almost too easy…'_ thought Ed uneasily. He knew that zebras were difficult to catch because they fought back by kicking their predators in the head with their strong back legs. And these zebras should know these lands better than he does, so why run in here?

The rest of his hunting party didn't notice these abnormalities; they were just preparing themselves to kill their prey and drag them back home. But before any of them pounced, Ed noticed something very wrong. These zebras weren't afraid, they stood there, not accepting their death, but stared at them as if they were looking at a prey themselves.

The zebras immediately broke off in break neck speed, splitting up to temporarily confuse their pursuers and ran around them to escape. Ed felt it before anyone else did, the rumbling coming from underneath his paws. "Everyone run now!" he shouted.

His team was surprised to hear their commander's voice but even more surprised when a shower of boulders came tumbling down on them from all sides. They all ran out of the trap as fast as they could and Ed pushed out anyone that didn't react fast enough. Before the rocks crashed down on all of them, Ed was able to help them all escape but got crushed himself.

"Commander!" cried out his comrades.

Ed coughed out blood as he attempted to pull himself out of the rubble. The majority of his body was crushed underneath the debris but the rest of him was okay. The other hyenas ran and tried to help him out but Ed paid no attention to them. He only noticed a single buzzard flying overhead with familiar marking on her left wing. After that, everything went black.

-X-

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" asked Sauda as she led Jelani towards hyena territory. "Out of every plan ever devised in history, this one has to be the most foolish and the most riskiest."

Jelani frowned as he regarded his canine companion with a look of partial confusion. "I know it is and I don't think there is such a word as 'riskiest'."

"I know there isn't!" Sauda retorted. "But look, Jelani, I really appreciate what you're trying to do but trust me, my mother is being very irrational and I don't think talking to the lion prince is going to help much in our case."

"I'd like to remind you that you didn't veto my idea and you actually agreed with me and thought it was a good idea just a little bit earlier."

"Well the closer we get to my home, the more I have second and even third thoughts about this."

"You mean _my_ home, first of all. Second of all, as much as I'd like to turn back now and race back to my hiding spot, we're going to have to come to this situation sooner or later. Not to mention, me staying incognito isn't going to help anything."

"It'll help you and my father stay alive!"

Jelani pretended not to hear her, knowing that she was probably right but didn't want to seem stupid for not thinking of those consequences earlier. Besides, this might get them killed, or it might free her father from a life of imprisonment.

But there was one other thing that encouraged Jelani to continue with his risky plan. "You told me that your mother loves your father even if she doesn't show it, right?" To this, Sauda nodded to show he was correct. "Then she won't execute him. Besides, he saved my life, I have to repay him somehow."

"No offense to your sense of logic, but wouldn't dying just, oh I don't know, render the whole point of saving your life meaningless?"

"You've said enough to hurt my pride, you can just stop now."

Sauda rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling a little bit. She was worried about his well-being but she knew she couldn't deter him from this plan of his so she would just have to go through with it. She just hoped everything would be okay in the end like her father had said.

When they had reached the outskirts, they became completely silent lest they get caught. They found their way by sneaking past every other hyena and then Sauda left Jelani hidden in the bushes so she could butter her mother up first.

"Mother?" called Sauda as she entered the den. The first thing she saw was her mother pacing back and forth with a worried expression on her face and her advisors standing around her, trying to keep her from losing her mind from the looks of it. "Mother?" she called again.

This time, Shenzi responded. "Yes! Sauda, it's just you…I'm sorry; I'm just a little worried about Ed and the rest of his hunting party. They've been out there much longer than usual. I'm just afraid they might've been attacked by the lions."

Sauda frowned as these words played through her mind. "Um, mother, about the whole conflict between us and the lions. Don't you think we've taken things a bit too far? Maybe we misjudged the lions."

If it wasn't her own daughter, the matriarch would've started shouting right there and then. But since it was, she sighed and looked at Sauda almost regrettably. "Sauda, you are very kind and I honestly love that about you, but you cannot let that get in the way of clear thinking. Just look at what the lions did to us a few days ago, they killed off at least thirty of our hyenas. How can you say we 'misjudged' them?"

"Mother, I don't think this is fair!" argued Sauda. "Just listen, I have proof that not all lions are bad and if things go right then this war will be over and there won't be any more deaths."

Shenzi exhaled exasperatedly but decided not pursue further into this argument. The sooner it was over with the better. "Fine, tell-!" Shenzi could smell a familiar scent in the air mixed with the noxious scent of blood.

Jelani caught the scent as well as he pushed his body closer to the wall of the outside of the cave. He watched as a huge group of hyenas rushed in carrying a bloody mess on top of them. It had the same shape and size of a male hyena and that couldn't be good.

"Matriarch Shenzi, we bring dreadful news!" called a young hunter as he tried to catch his breath.

The group of hyenas laid the mangled form of Ed in front of her. They all gasped upon seeing their top commander in such a pitiful state. Shenzi lowered her head so that she could look at her age old friend up close.

She felt his weak and hot breath touch her cheek. "He's still breathing" Shenzi sighed in relief before turning to her advisors. "Take him to see the medics and make sure he is treated right away! And don't you dare come back until you've done exactly that!"

"Yes ma'am!" they saluted. They gathered around Ed's body and carried him out of the den.

After they were gone, Shenzi turned her attention back to the hunting party. There was about half of them present so she guessed that the rest of the party was dragging back their meal if they caught anything in the first place.

"Mother?" whispered Sauda after the matriarch didn't respond for a while.

"Who…What happened out there?" asked Shenzi in a broken voice.

"We were chasing after two zebras when they led us into a trap. It was intentionally set up and we stupidly fell for it" reported one of the hyenas from the group, presumably the second in command. "The other half of us caught them and found that it was the enemy pride that had ordered them to do this…"

_While Ed's group tried to free their commander out of his crushing prison, the rest of the hunting party chased after the fleeing zebras. It was one thing to let their prey get away, it was another to let enemies of war escape._

_They were able to catch up quickly and they leaped onto the zebras. Pressing them down so they wouldn't be able to escape but they didn't kill them. Instead one of the hyenas bent down and snarled at the frightened expression on one of the zebras._

"_That trap was set up. By who?" he snapped ferociously._

_The zebra whimpered pathetically which was in complete contrast with their confidence from earlier. Of course, this fact went by unnoticed by this hyena considering he didn't see their confidence from earlier. _

"_It was King Malka and King Simba!" blurted out the other zebra. "Please don't kill us; we were only following orders from our higher ups! Honest!"_

_The hyena stared at both of their faces before giving the group of hyenas on top of the zebras the signal which Ed would've given them meaning, kill them on the spot with no second thoughts. And the ruthless party did just that._

Shenzi growled loudly to express her pent up frustration and anger. "Those two kings did this to him?! I can't believe this and yet it doesn't surprise me!"

"Matriarch, it seems they're making much bolder moves. It's as if they are fighting without any care for their lives or their subordinates. I think it's time we retaliate their refugee camp with our entire army" suggested one of the advisors that had stayed behind.

Shenzi nodded in consent after some much needed thought. "Yes, I agree, it's time we fight back!"

"No, mother, please, don't do this! I'm sure there must be some sort of mistake or some sort of misunderstanding!" shouted Sauda as she tried to change her mother's mind. "The lions have been docile up until that attack a few days ago but there must've been another reason!"

"Sauda, there is no room for argument, my decision is final! There is no such thing as a good lion; they're all deceitful and unfair to our kind. That's just it, nothing good has ever come from siding with their species."

"You're wrong mother!"

"Did you even see what happed to your Uncle Ed!? Or do you not even care?"

"How can you say that?"

"Ed needs intense medical attention and it's all because of Simba, Malka, and the rest of their cruel prides!" Shenzi shouted loudly, not caring whether Sauda was her daughter or not.

Sauda was struck speechless by her mother's outburst and couldn't help choking back her inner tears. Shenzi saw this and immediately regretted her actions. Before either could respond though, Jelani leaped out in between mother and daughter.

"Matriarch Shenzi! I am the one at fault, do not vent out your frustrations at the lions at her!" stated Jelani.

Almost every hyena froze there when they saw the appearance of the lion prince. The first to react was Shenzi, and her fury returned in her expression one hundred-fold. "So Banzai lied to me again! You're still alive!"

"Yeah, I am, but you shouldn't have punished Banzai for such things as keeping me alive. He was a kind soul to me when I was at death's door, he's done so much good and yet you're willing to let him, your own mate, rot in a cell!" retorted Jelani feeling his anger rise within him. "And your daughter is the same, they don't deserve punishment."

"As matriarch…It is my duty to punish those who defy me and my kind. Even if they are my mate and my daughter…They've betrayed their pack" said Shenzi emotionlessly. "And you as well, deserve punishment for your crimes as lion prince."

Jelani shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That may be your duty as matriarch but what are your duties as a mother and a mate? This is what your daughter and your mate have taught me while they took care of me. We lions and hyenas are different, yes that much is true, but we are more alike than you think. We understand the good and the bad of family, of friends, of love, of betrayal, of life, and of loss. We may be different species but we all understand what life is and what it means to be alive. This is what I've learned from your daughter."

"Mother…Look at us…We're friends, and I know you were friends with a lion once. We can mend the bridge if we try, and if we can't, then we can build a new one, this time supported by both sides" said Sauda.

Shenzi heard their words and thought back to the times of Taka. They were all so close back then and nothing seemed like it could go wrong. But when Scar was born, everything changed, and it was like all the happy and simple times died along with Taka. Then she thought to all the things Scar had said about them before he had died and she gritted her teeth in anger.

'_No, a lion couldn't be friends with a hyena. It wasn't just about Scar, there was more, throughout history; hyenas have been subjected to prejudice and abuse by these big cats. Well, no more! It's time they got the rights they deserved and no less than that. The lion prince was probably just like the rest of his species, he would tear apart what's left of her daughter's heart and she would not allow that to happen.'_

She shook her head at them to brush off their words like they didn't matter to her. "No, we cannot mend the bridge that has been broken for generations nor can we build a new one to replace it. I'm sorry Sauda, but we're going to have to arrest your…'friend'…"

"No!" Sauda cried out but Jelani stopped her from saying any more.

"It's okay Sauda…" he told her with a small smile. He became serious again as he faced her mother. He bowed his head low to show he would not struggle and would only submit to her will. "I will be your prisoner as long as you don't jail your daughter and free your mate. They don't deserve that kind of life…"

The other hyenas in the den that have stayed quiet for so long began spewing different punishments to dish out. Many involved torture or even death in the cruelest method ever imaginable. Shenzi silenced them with a single roar before looking at the bowing lion in front of her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you on the spot" she said.

"I am worth more than anything to my father. You can use me as ransom to end this war. I know you love your family and what your family wants more than anything else is for this war to be over. If you give me and my family a chance to live life anew somewhere else and yours a life they desire, then I promise my kind will never bother you and your pack ever again."

Shenzi remained silent as she considered this but it didn't take long for her to come up with a final decision. "I've learned my lesson from that peace treaty…I won't fall into another mockery of a promise of peace ever again. I sentence you to execution!"

That was the cue for the hyenas to move in and kill him. This wasn't the answer Jelani was hoping for and it sure wasn't what Sauda was hoping for either. The female hyena barreled herself into one of the hyenas who landed on the wall and fell to the ground. She ran into the fray and pulled Jelani out with all her might, "Run!" she ordered.

The two of them rocketed off as fast as they could away from hyena territory. Neither bothered to look back to see if they were being chased after, the enraged barks were enough to inform them of their pursuers.

"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Jelani as he ran.

"What else? We get Jambo and get out of here as quick as we can!" called back Sauda.

Jelani nodded. "Then we'll head to the refugee camp! We'll be safe there for the time being."

-X-

Tama could feel her patience and ability to tolerate her companions wavering. Almost every day since they set out to look for the prince of the Coast Lands, Kula and Chaka had argued about something. Despite how calm and collected Chaka may appear to be, he was about as hotheaded as her best friend was.

"I told you to go left!" shouted Chaka.

"And I told you it didn't matter!" Kula retorted. "Going right was just as good as going left!"

"No! I was heading right! And you were heading straight ahead, right for that zebra's back! What if it had kicked you in the head?!"

"Then I'd brush it off! What's the big deal; we caught the damn thing didn't we?"

Tama knew that there was only one quick and efficient way to get these two to stop with their pointless arguing. It was amusing and funny at first but now it was just getting on her last nerves. "Aw, you two sound like an adorable old couple" she said monotonously. _'One…Two…Three…'_

"We do not!" they both snapped at her simultaneously.

Kula's expression softened when she realized how her best friend's spirit needed to be revived. "Are you okay Tama? You don't seem like you're doing so hot."

"Can you blame me? You guys argue all the time and I'm just not sure if I can even take it even more!" Tama sighed exasperatedly. "I love you Kula, but if this is just going to continue on between you two then you can just take me back to the pride. I'm sick of this."

"Your own best friend gets annoyed by you, that really says something" Chaka remarked with a smug grin.

Kula lightly cuffed him on the shoulder. "Look Tama, I didn't realize how much I was irritating you but you know you can just tell me about these things right? We're best friends, it's not like I can't be reasonable or I can't handle criticism."

Chaka gave a faux cough. "Liar!"

Kula ignored him. "I promise we'll try to get along better. Right Chaka?"

"Right, I promise to try and get along with you better. No matter how much I don't want to" Chaka stated more towards Tama. He then turned his next statement towards Kula. "I'm impressed Kula, you're being incredibly mature about this."

"Well one of us has to be."

The three of them chuckled together when they suddenly stopped. They could hear something from beyond the bushes behind them. It didn't sound very threatening but it's not like they could really base off something dangerous with a noise they just heard.

"Hello? Is anyone here? Mama, Jelani?" called a young voice.

It sounded way too young for it to be someone that would be able to harm them. But to be safe, the three of them remained as silent as possible while Chaka crawled towards the area where they heard the voice. He peeked through the bush and saw a hyena pup looking lost and confused.

"Are you lost little one?" asked Chaka as gently as he could.

The hyena pup turned to the male lion and brightened up immediately. He quickly hopped over to him excitedly with absolutely no signs of fear or hesitancy. "Oh wow, another lion! So cool! Are you a friend of Jelani's?"

"Well, yes I-whoa, wait! How do you know Jelani, and who in the world are you, and hasn't your mother told you not to talk to strangers, and why aren't you afraid of me?" Chaka asked a mile a minute.

"One question at a time dude and don't forget to breathe" said Kula while rolling her eyes.

The hyena pup immediately ran up to the two lionesses and didn't even bother answering a single one of the male's questions. "Oh, wow, lionesses, they really don't have manes like Jelani said!" he said flamboyantly.

"It's very nice to meet you, but could you tell us who you are?" asked Tama.

"Oh, I'm Jambo, I'm the grandson of the matriarch!" he said proudly. "I came out here to look for my mom and my friend, Jelani. Oops, mama said to never tell anyone about him. I'm going to be in trouble."

"You mean you wandered out here all by yourself? You do realize how dangerous that is right?" asked Kula.

"But…But…I just wanted to see my friend…"

"It's fine, but do you know where Prince Jelani might be? We're part of his pride and we're looking for him" said Tama.

I'm not sure, but maybe he went to the pack. Over where my home is!"

The lions glanced from each other to the hyena pup. He seemed way too young and innocent to be deemed untrustworthy, but if he was right and Jelani was in hyena territory, then things just took a turn for the very worst.

-X-

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Also, the bad thing that's going to happen in the Pride Lands will happen in the next chapter. And it's going to surprise a lot of you and some of you might hate me, but it won't be something you guys will expect. Can't wait to hear from you guys again so don't forget to review!**


	19. From Bad to Worse

**I'd like to point out that I'm still in high school and it's getting near the end of the school year so I'm going to be extra busy with exams and studying. Don't count on quick updates. Bad things are about to go down in this chapter and it may or may not get better. For all you know, this conflict may continue on until the next book. But one thing is certain; this story will go on for about two or maybe more chapters than the previous one. Hope you all enjoy.**

-X-

"How is she?" asked Nala upon entering the den.

"Glorious!" groaned Sierra loudly from deeper inside the den.

Rafiki was instructing the young lioness while Kiara and Vitani stood by her on either side. Nala chuckled nervously in a failed attempt to cover up her obliviousness. "Sorry, I didn't actually know you were in here…"

Sierra had been in labor since early that morning but after the queen had left to do the morning patrols. The princesses had stayed with their dear friend while their cubs were waiting outside along with the nervous soon-to-be father.

Afua walked back and forth muttering to himself while Kito watched him curiously. Kioni was cooing their cousin and making sure baby Neo didn't crawl too far. "Uncle Afua…I think you walk around too much" Kito commented.

Afua stopped mid-step and looked over at the lion prince. He bent down so that he was at eye level with the cub. "You'll understand when you have a mate and you're the one outside the den before your first cub is born."

Kito had no idea what the grown up had just said but decided not to push further into it as Afua continued his frantic pacing. The cubs of Kiara and Kovu recoiled at the sound of Sierra's sudden scream. Neo only mewed curiously in confusion. But the adult lion had a much worse reaction upon hearing it.

"Oh, Great Spirit, she's going to die in there!" he yelped. He pressed his body onto the floor, shut his eyes, and covered his ears with his paws. "Just tell me when it's over!" And with that, he began to mutter incomprehensively to himself once more.

"Will he be all right?" asked Kioni, looking to her brother. Kito only shrugged in response.

"Okay, Sierra, you're doing great, just remember to take deep breaths" instructed Kiara as calmly as she could.

"And don't be afraid to hold on tight to our paws if you feel too much pain" added Vitani and then adding as an afterthought without saying too loudly. "Just try to retract your claws at least a little. You're drawing blood from me."

After about another half hour, Kito tapped on Afua's head so that the adult would look up from his cowering position. Afua looked at the cub and noticed that it had become noticeably quieter and the only sound he could hear were those of a crying newborn coming from the cave.

Afua stood up and walked into the den with his head held high, creating the illusion that he wasn't anything less than the male he was. Kito followed close behind wanting to see the newest member of their pride, Afua and Sierra's daughter.

"Oh my, she's beautiful" Nala smiled.

"She is just too cute" agreed Kiara.

"Hey, why don't we let the father of the cub take a look at her?" chuckled Vitani noticing her friend's anxious expression.

The lionesses made room for Afua to take a good long look at his newborn cub. She had a light golden pelt and a cream colored underbelly, the tuft of fur on the end of her tail was a dark brown. She also had a little red heart-shaped birthmark right on the back of her left paw.

"She…She's truly wonderful" whispered Afua in awe. He lightly touched her head with his paw and she mewed in slight protest.

"What are you going to name her?" asked Nala.

"We never spoke much about it so we haven't decided" Afua informed her. He turned to his mate to see what she thought. "Hey Sierra-! Sierra? Rafiki, is something wrong with her?"

All of their attention turned to the shaman and the new mother. They saw that Sierra wasn't looking all too good and she was breathing rather heavily as if she had been running for several miles without taking a single break.

Without missing a beat, all the lions hurried over to them with worried expressions. The cubs stayed behind with the newborn and Nala watching over them. The queen was also making sure that the cubs didn't rush over to the mother either since the news Rafiki was about to deliver could not be good as far as she could tell.

Rafiki was checking over the lioness that had just given birth. He was expecting this to happen; he was just hoping it wouldn't. After his inspection, he shook his head sadly and looked over at the lions awaiting the news. "I am afraid Sierra does not have much longer."

"What!" exclaimed Kiara.

"What do you mean? She's not too young, she's not too old, how does giving birth to this one little cub affect her this much when Kiara and I came out perfectly okay?" asked Vitani. "There must be some plausible answer for that, and it better be a good one!"

"Tani…It's okay…" huffed Sierra weakly.

"But…" Vitani started to protest but didn't have the heart to continue when she saw her friend's hollow smile.

"Your medicine." These were the first words for Afua to say after Rafiki had told them that his mate didn't have much longer. "You went into labor early in the morning; before you took your medicine…Your body's too weak now…" Although his words were slow and calm, he was actually violently shaking and sobbing. "No…You can't die, not now, not after…not after our cub was just born…"

"Oh…Afua…Please don't cry…I love you too much for me to…to see you in such a poor state. I want you to know that everything will be all right; you can't let grief stop you from caring for our child. She needs you more than ever now that I won't be able to take care of her" said Sierra.

"And I love you too much for me to just stand here and watch you die! There must be something we can do! Rafiki?" he choked out.

"I'm afraid not…" the shaman shook his head.

"NO!" shouted Afua grabbing the shaman by the shoulders and pushing him to the wall. He stared him right in the eye, making sure to be as intimidating as possible. This pretty much shocked and surprised everyone else in the cave but again, Rafiki looked as if he had been expecting it. "There must be something, something you can do!"

"If there was, I would've told you!" the baboon retorted indignantly.

"Liar!"

"Afua, stop this!" called Vitani partially in anger. The two princesses pulled down the male with all their might and the one that had spoken out pinned him down in one swift movement. "There's nothing we can do! That's just it!" she glowered.

Afua pushed Vitani off and ran out of the den as fast as he could; only looking back at his mate once before exiting completely. Vitani sighed sadly as she looked at her best friend who looked like she could just die any second. Her sister-in-law was comforting her by lying next to her and speaking in soothing words.

"I'm sorry you had to see that…" whispered Vitani, trying with everything she had in herself to keep her voice level and even without breaking.

Sierra smiled weakly as she looked back at her best friend. "It's fine, believe me. I just hope he'll be able to move on someday." The dying lioness paused here before glancing over at Nala. "I haven't seen her yet, my daughter. Please…let me see her before I go."

The queen nodded in assent as she picked up the mewling by the scruff of her neck and brought her to her mother. She laid the newborn down in front of her. Sierra stared longingly at her cub. "Oh my beautiful daughter, my one regret will be never getting to raise you myself. Please be good to your father."

The newborn mewed as if she had understood her mother but it was good enough for Sierra to smile. She then turned her attention to her best friend. "Vitani, even if you don't think so, I think you'll be a great queen. Before I'm gone, I'd like to give a message to Afua that I hope you could give to him for me. This isn't a request from subject to princess, but from friend to friend."

-X-

"There's my mother!" cried out Jambo happily as Jelani and Sauda streaked past them.

"And that was Jelani!" said Chaka in stark surprise.

About two to three seconds after Chaka had uttered this, the lion prince and matriarch heir stopped in their tracks. They simultaneously turned towards the group they had just passed. "Chaka?" questioned Jelani with a raised eyebrow at the same time his companion had said "Jambo?"

"Hey mama!" giggled Jambo as he bumped his head onto his mother's leg.

"Jelani, what are you doing here?" asked Chaka.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing" said Jelani although he wasn't smiling like his friend was. Instead he was looking over Chaka's shoulder, searching for something or someone. His eyes stopped on Tama and his jaw visibly dropped in surprise. "Tala…?"

"Um…" Tama began to correct before Sauda suddenly screeched out.

"Everybody run!" she shouted as she picked up her son in her jaws. She streaked off towards the general direction where the refugee camp was. The others caught on quickly when they saw a huge group of hyenas emerging from the corner and giving chase.

"Why are we being chased by hyenas?" asked Kula as she was running, her voice on the brink of being hysterical.

"Let's just say they're really angry about an attack on the hunting party which is allegedly caused by Malka's pride!" Sauda said while her teeth were still clenched to hold her son so it came out very muffled and completely incomprehensible.

"What?!"

"She says 'They're angry about an attack that Malka's pride set up'" smiled Jambo. He had absolutely no clue what this was about, if anything, he thought it was all some sort of fun game that his mother was playing with the other hyenas.

"Malka's pride would never do that!" argued Chaka.

"_We_ know that, but they don't!" said Jelani.

The group noticed that the hyenas pursuing them seemed to be gradually catching up with them which of course, made them very worried. It was like they had gained speed upon seeing more of their most hated enemies, lions.

"We'll never outrun them! We have to at least stall them so some of us can get back home!" shouted Kula.

"Agreed, then I'll stay behind and keep them busy. You guys get out of here and warn Kings Malka and Simba about the coming attack. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine" offered Chaka without stopping in case anyone had a better idea.

Kula turned her head around while still running to look at the male in the face. "Oh, no you don't!"

"You said it yourself; one of us needs to-."

"You didn't let me finish. What I meant to say was that you're not staying behind without me. Besides, you really think that you could stall them all by yourself?"

Chaka couldn't help but smile when he heard. He could think of about a million reasons why he didn't want her to stay behind with him but he also knew that no matter how much he argued with her, she would never change her mind. "Usually I'd tried to argue with you but I can tell you won't hear any of it. Alright then, let's just see if you can keep up with me!"

"No Kula, you can't!" tried Tama.

"Neither can you Chaka. I order the both of you to stay, we aren't going to lose anybody!" said Jelani.

"Don't worry Tama, as long as you live, I'll return to you. And as for you Jelani, we're technically still on hyena soil; you have no jurisdiction here, which means we don't have to listen to you. Furthermore, I'm not one of your lions, you can't order me around" smirked Kula. "Now let's show those hyenas whose boss!"

"Finally something we can both agree on" smiled Chaka. The two of them stopped and blocked the hyenas off from getting to their friends. "Just get out of here, we'll join you soon!"

Jelani watched as his friend practically threw his life away for his. "Follow me" he told his remaining companions as they dived into the cover of thick foliage in case a few of their pursuers got past Chaka and Kula.

Before their bumpy tuck and roll, Tama turned her head and stared for a long while at where her best friend was just standing moments ago. "Oh, please come back to me safely, I can't lose another I lion I love…" she whispered to the air.

-X-

Mosi watched as the rest of the cheetah clan began to wake up from the good night's sleep. He had made sure to keep to his promise to Queen Nala and made sure that any suspicious activity was to be checked out and reported to him.

But there was just so much going wrong here lately, it wasn't visible or clear but he could feel it. It was as if the world itself was off balance. He sighed knowing that it didn't make much sense but then again, most of the problems here never do without an explanation.

"King Mosi, King Mosi, something strange has occurred!" called one of the female cheetahs.

'_Those are never good words.'_ "What is it? Did you see something that should be of major concern?" he asked. That's when he realized that this cheetah was the one who checked up on the rogue, Jet, every single morning. "What happened to the rogue?" he questioned slowly.

The cheetah gulped, almost as if she was afraid that Mosi would punish her for the news she was about to deliver despite his kind reputation. "Well, it seems that Jet has…vanished…" she admitted a bit nervously.

"You mean he left the Pride Lands without telling anyone?"

"No, I mean, yes, but also…He didn't leave a trace behind that he was here at all. It was like he vanished into thin air or never even existed at all!" exclaimed the cheetah.

"Nonsense!" Mosi frowned. "We've seen him with our own eyes and it's not unusual for a rogue to cover up their scent or get rid of their paw prints."

"Not like this."

Mosi followed her as she brought him to the den where Jet had usually lounged around. It was empty and there was no recent scent of anyone inhabiting it earlier. He looked around and found nothing, no prints, no claw marks, no leftover food or bones, not even a single strand of shed fur. Furthermore, any signs that he had left the den were nowhere to be seen. The cheetah wasn't kidding; it really was like the rogue hadn't existed at all.

"How does someone just…disappear?" wondered Mosi out loud. _'There's definitely something wrong here. It's like some sort of creepy conspiracy or something to that nature. Whatever it is, we should all watch our backs.'_

He turned to the cheetah with new orders to give her. "Go to the lion queen and be sure to give her a very important message. And it is imperative that she receives it, whether it is directly or indirectly from you."

"Yes sir, and what may this message be?"

"Jet's gone and we must prepare for the worst…"

-X-

Jet couldn't help cackling to himself as he walked up the steps to the den on the side of the cliff. Usually he'd complain about how high it was to get up there but he was feeling exceptionally good about himself considering his job had been completed, flawlessly at that.

"You seem proud of yourself, I'm assuming you've succeeded in your mission?" sneered Nyota as the buzzard landed right in front of him.

"That's none of your business. But I'm assuming you succeeded in yours since you're back here too" Jet shot back nastily.

"Both of you stop with this petty arguing and just report to Lord Hasani already" said one of the lion guards. "If you don't, I'll be sure to deliver the message myself and end the both of you…permanently."

Jet scoffed and continued with his usual smart aleck attitude. "In case you didn't know, you can't exactly 'end' someone temporarily unless you know how to resurrect the dead."

The lion guard growled and was about to lunge at the cheetah when a voice called from inside the den. "Enter Nyota the buzzard and Jet the cheetah."

The two non-lion species entered the den but not before Jet gave one last smug look to the lion guard as if showing his superiority. They both stood in front of Hasani who was on a high rise in the center of the den. He seemed colder since the last time they had saw him but the thing that had really caught their attention was the fact that Thimba was in there with their lord.

"Why is Thimba here? He's our newest member and he's already you right paw lion?" Jet guffawed in disbelief.

Hasani growled threateningly which effectively silenced the smaller carnivore. Thimba recoiled at the sound but stayed by Hasani's side nonetheless. Thimba noticed more than anyone else the change in their master since the visit to the Northern Kingdom. "What news do the two of you bring?" asked Thimba when Hasani didn't speak.

Jet didn't seem to like the fact that Thimba was calling the shots but knew that their master was in no mood for arguing. "I've successfully infiltrated the Pride Lands and gathered as much information as I could. Furthermore, I was able to gain the alliance of at least a third of the population as well as a rogue pride that was planning a hostile takeover of the lands."

"I see…We'll have to dispose of the rogue pride after we've succeeded in achieving our ultimate goal unless they are willing to join our efforts in creating a utopian society" nodded Hasani before turning to Nyota next. "And am I correct to believe that you have succeeded in your mission as well?"

Nyota nodded and bowed her head low to show her respect for this lion despite her earlier complaint of his species. "It cost the lives of two of our zebra members but we were able to seriously injure the commander and now the hyenas are prepared to do whatever it takes to get their revenge on the lions who are the 'cause' of the assault."

"Good…Hopefully they will end up destroying each other. And even if they don't, the hyenas will win but they will soon fall at our paws and of their own. And if they end up coming up with a compromise, we will only gain more members. Things are going perfectly well. It's almost time to start the next phase of our master plan."

"This next phase…Is it the last one to our plan?" asked Nyota.

"Yes, as you recall, after this, things will change for the good of all animals. However, things have slightly changed now that we have one more kingdom to fight."

"King Kanu's against us?!" exclaimed Jet in shock.

"I had the same reaction. But it changes absolutely nothing! We will still be victorious and we shall achieve our ultimate goal!"

-X-

Kiara and her mother had left Vitani and Sierra alone so that the two best friends could spend their last few moments together. Mother and daughter brought along the cubs, minus Neo and the Sierra's newborn who stayed behind with their mothers, to watch the hunting party.

"Is Auntie Sierra going to die mama?" asked Kioni.

Kiara looked down at her daughter and saw her sad and scared little eyes. It was almost as if Kioni was asking if she was going to die. "Everyone dies at one point of their life. It's not a pleasant thought but just know that it won't happen to either of you for a very long time" Kiara replied in an assuring voice.

"But what about you and grandma?" inquired Kito.

It surprised the two older lionesses to find that Kito figured out that they would die sooner than the cubs would. "We won't be leaving until the both of you are ready to take care of yourselves. By then, you'll both be ready for us not being there" said Nala although she seemed rather unsure of herself.

"Auntie Sierra is a lot younger than you grandma…That doesn't mean you'll be dead soon also does it?" asked Kioni as she choked back the tears that were threatening to spill.

"Listen…" Kiara started. She searched for the words to say in her head before resuming. "Before the two of you were born…Someone very bad came to the Pride Lands and he did something to Sierra to make her sick. Now she's weak after giving birth to her daughter and that's why she's going to die. But my mother, your grandmother, won't be leaving anytime soon. Trust me…"

"But it's going to happen, and I don't want it to…"

"No one does…"

"Queen Nala! Princess Kiara!" called one of the huntresses as she ran over to them. She seemed very rushed and frantic and it made the royal pair rather nervous.

"What's wrong, did one of the lionesses get injured while hunting?" asked Nala.

"No…It's just…a rogue walked into the border and then collapsed!"

Nala and Kiara looked at each other and they both knew that the other was thinking the same thing. They let the lioness lead them towards the rogue and they both stopped when they saw him. Nala began to inspect him as Kiara studied his features to see if he was familiar to her.

"That's him mother! Or at least…One of them…" said Kiara.

Nala slowly shook the rogue awake. They could see that he was very tired and he had bruises and bloody cuts all over his body. He looked as if he could just bleed to death right there. For this reason, the cubs were kept away from this gruesome scene.

"Who are you and what happened to you?" asked Nala gently when she saw that he was awake.

"My name…Not important…But I must warn you all…He is near…The time is near…Leave the Pride Lands and never return…Hide and never reveal yourselves…Better yet…Kill yourselves before it happens…Because it's not a world worth living in…" He looked like he was going to say more but as if some unknown force wanted to keep them in the dark, he died.

-X-

**Okay, wow, lot's of mysteries in this chapter and probably a lot of questions. I'm hoping for more reviews because two a chapter isn't going to cut it. What happened to my other readers? With that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoyed and continue to support me. See you all next time.**


	20. Speeches and Stories

**Just a few more school days left and then it will be regents' weeks. After that, I am totally free! I can't believe the school year is nearly over. Anyway, I predict I will get this story done before the end of June which means that Book of Black Pride will be published in late July or early August. Thank you all for your support and I can't believe this story is almost over. And another thing, the best Lion King stories I've read have a character death in it, so if Sierra doesn't survive, then I'm sorry but that's just how it is. Hope you can all forgive me. Leave a review~!**

-X-

Afua only turned his head a little to see Vitani exit the cave where his mate was. She heaved a heavy sigh and walked up to her friend. She stopped when he didn't even say anything to her though she knew he noticed her presence.

"…Let me guess…You and Sierra both think I'm horrible for leaving her by herself. Well…How would you feel if Kopa was the one dying? Would you actually stay there while the last threads keeping the one you love's life bound to this plane deteriorates?" asked Afua. The question wasn't asked harshly, on the contrary, his voice was breaking with each syllable.

"I don't think you're horrible, and neither does Sierra. Sierra especially, would never think of you that way. She loves you just as much you love her" Vitani sighed. "She did give me a message to give to you though." Afua didn't answer but she could tell that he wanted her to go on. "She doesn't want you to hate nor blame yourself."

The male didn't know what he was expecting to hear from Vitani but he definitely wasn't expecting that. "What do you mean?"

"I doubted that you would hate yourself but after you told me that you thought we thought you were horrible…It's clear to me that _you're_ the one who thinks that you're horrible. She wants you to go on…For her, and for your daughter. Don't let grief blind you from what's important, even if you can't care for Sierra now, you can always care for the legacy she left behind. Your daughter needs you more than anything right now. Let her be your new beacon of hope."

Afua watched as Vitani picked up her son by the scruff of his neck and slowly descended the steps of Pride Rock to go to another den. It was pretty clear that she was expecting him to go and see her…before he never got the chance again.

The lion sighed and turned around to face the den. He slowly walked inside with his head held down in slight shame but not as much as it would've been before Vitani had talked to him. "Oh, Sierra!" he cried out when he saw his mate lying motionlessly on the cold ground.

Her eyes were closed and she didn't seem like she was breathing. He began to cry and sob into her side before he felt something nudge him. He turned and saw his shut-eyed daughter mewing in sadness and distress. She didn't even know what was going on but it was as if she had her eyes open for the entire time to witness the very death of her mother.

He pulled his daughter close to him and stroked her fur softly. He knew what Sierra was talking about, taking care of their daughter while she wasn't around. If he let the grief of losing his mate overcome him; then he wouldn't have the heart to take care of his only daughter. He wouldn't have the heart to take care of himself.

"_What kind of name is Sierra anyway, it doesn't sound…Well I've never heard of a name like it."_

_The lioness cub giggled lightly before answering. "It's not my real name silly! My real name is Amali but my dad once called me 'Sera' meaning beautiful, and I pronounced it 'Sierra'. Ever since then, it became my nickname!"_

"_Oh, that's cool."_

'_Amali…The name that means hope…'_ thought Afua. He looked down at his daughter and knew that it was a perfect fit for her. "Amali…You are my new hope…And it will live for an eternity…" Amali mewed happily as if she understood. He smiled gently before it faded and he looked over at Sierra. "Do you like it Sierra?"

There was a long still silence that remained suspended in the cave and probably filled his heart as well. Of course he wasn't expecting her to answer but he just wanted to hear her voice just one last - "I love it…almost as much as I love you…"

Afua's head jerked towards his still mate. At first he mentally slapped himself for imagining her voice but he also smiled because he had the chance to hear it one last time. "I love you too…Sera…"

"_How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"_

"_What, you mean 'Sera'?"_

"_It was funny when we were cubs but now, every time I hear you call me that it sounds as if you're implying that you like me. And that would just feel too awkward after everything that's happened…"_

"_But I do think you're beautiful and I know you're sad about Vitani. Just like how I'm upset about Kopa. So I was just trying to ease the tension here, not to imply anything."_

"…_Did you just call me beautiful?"_

_The male pre-adolescent lion paused for a moment and madly blushed underneath his fur. He turned his head away from her though she wouldn't be able to see his scarlet cheeks either way. "N-No way! I just…You heard wrong!"_

"_Nuh-uh! _You_ like me!"_

"_No I don't! Shut up!"_

"I didn't like you…I loved you…Since we were cubs and for the rest of my life…"

-X-

"There it is…Your father's camp" said Tama when they had finally caught sight of it on the horizon.

"Great Spirit above, I hope everything's all right" Jelani had released his breath which he hadn't even known he was holding.

The lions began to move forward but Sauda hesitated to take another step forward. She kept her son back with her as well.

"Sauda…What's wrong?" asked Tama as she stopped mid step.

"I'm a hyena…Won't they think that I am the enemy?" Sauda replied. "It may sound selfish but I don't want to take another step if it means I might get maimed by two huge prides of lions."

"It's more like two halves creating one whole so it's not as big as you might think" shrugged Tama. "And we'll explain to them how you're good and on our side. They can't do much to harm you if the lion you took care of happens to be their lost prince."

"I guess not…"

The small group continued to make their final steps towards the camp when Tama held back a little so that she could speak to Jelani. "Um…Prince Jelani?" she started a bit shyly.

"Just call me Jelani…'Prince' Jelani just sounds way too formal…"

"Right…Jelani…Earlier when we first encountered each other…You called me Tala…How did you almost know my name or at least…Who is Tala?"

"…"

"Jelani?"

"She's…an old friend…No need to worry about it…You just looked a lot like her…"

"I see…What happened to her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You looked really surprised when you saw me and you just said that she was an _old_ friend. This implies that something happened to her…Is she…dead?" she ventured with a hint of caution in her voice.

Jelani shook his head. "At least…as far as I know. I haven't seen her for who knows how long. But don't worry about it…It's not a big deal and you shouldn't let it get to you. Just ignore it…Maybe I'll get around to sharing some other time…"

They stopped when they saw that one of the guard lions had seen them. What surprised them was the fact that this guard lion didn't go and warn the others or tell the others to come over, instead he ran straight towards them.

"Jelani, Tama! Thank the Kings you're both back safely!" smiled Kopa who was conveniently the guard lion when he converged with their location. His smile faded quickly when he noticed Sauda and Jambo in place of Kula and Chaka. "Where are Chaka and Kula and who are these two?"

Instead of answering Kopa's question, he only asked another that was probably the tenth time someone had asked the Pride Lands' prince already. "Simba, what in the name of Kings are you doing here?"

"First off, my name is Kopa now, yeah, turns out I was the lost prince of the Pride Lands" chuckled Kopa. When he saw his old friend's jaw drop and remain speechless, he decided to continue. "Anyway, could you answer my question?"

"Oh, um, these are Sauda and Jambo, allies of ours, not enemies."

"I figured…But…The other two?"

"They stayed behind so that we could get away" stated Tama sadly. Then added with a little more cheer to it though it still didn't sound very believable. "Don't worry, they'll be back soon…I hope…"

"I need to see my father, Sauda, Jambo, come with me so that you won't get yourselves into any trouble. Kopa, do you know where he is?" asked Jelani as he tried not to think about his friend's sacrifice.

Kopa nodded and gestured towards the right of him. "He's in his personal chamber right over there. You can't miss it."

Jelani nodded in response and muttered thanks. He then led the two hyenas away and into lion territory while the other two watched their retreating forms. Kopa shrugged and was about to return to his post when Tama stopped him.

"Kopa, do you know a lioness named Tala?" she asked abruptly.

Kopa paused and at first she thought he hadn't heard her. When she was about to repeat it, he spoke. "Tala…She's someone who left about a month before I had arrived in the Pride Lands. She was a friend…And she looked a lot you Tama" mused Kopa.

"She looked like me?"

"At first I thought you _were_ her when I had first met you…But luckily I realized I was wrong before I made the mistake of calling you 'Tala'" chuckled Kopa before becoming serious again. "She was…She was also Jelani's mate before she…"

"Before she what?"

"Before she was banished…"

"Why was she banished? What did she do?"

"She lost her mind…And she almost killed an innocent cub…"

-X-

"Father?"

Malka and Simba who were conversing with several other older lions were all trying to come with some sort of plan in case they were attacked. However, they all became silent when they saw the prince of the Coast Lands enter the den along with two hyenas.

Malka turned around in response to the voice and choked back a sob when he saw his son alive and well. He lunged forward and pulled Jelani into tight embrace. He began to let loose and cry into son's mane and the younger of the two was doing the same for his father. Even though they hadn't seen each other for only a few weeks, it still felt like forever.

The beautiful moment was ruined when one of the veteran lions growled and launched himself towards Sauda who backed away from him. "Hyena!" he roared.

Simba put himself in between the threatening lion and the defenseless hyenas and growled back at the hyena before Jelani could. The room froze for another minute as the two lions stared each other down. It seemed many of the other lions supported the lion opposing the king.

"What are you doing King Simba?! There's an enemy here and you expect me to just back off?! What if she's here to do something awful to the prides?" he snarled.

"Silence!" barked Simba. "You really think that this hyena would do something horrible to us even though she came here with a hyena pup and followed Prince Jelani here? Either her plot is highly complicated or extremely stupid; I doubt she'd actually enter a den full of lions without backup."

"What if she didn't know that the lot of us were here and she was just on an assassination mission to kill you kings?" pointed out a lioness.

"And she followed Jelani here without any of the other lions attacking?"

The lions began muttering their doubts out loud but stopped when they saw Malka approach the hyena. "Jelani had just informed me that you were the one who kept my son alive while he was a fugitive. For taking care of my son, I am forever grateful and in your debt" he bowed down to her.

Sauda never imagined a lion king would actually bow his head to a hyena let alone herself. The lions found this to be very un-kingly but clearly, a few others felt differently. Jambo came out from behind his mother leaped around the king.

"Oh cool! You're the king right? That's awesome!" exclaimed Jambo excitedly.

"Well aren't you cute?" Malka chuckled.

Jambo puffed up his cheeks indignantly. "I'm not cute! I'm rough and tough!"

"Oh, I'm sure you are" Malka nodded and laughed.

All the lions, except for Simba and Jelani gaped at their king. Malka was communicating with the young pup as if it were the son of an old friend. Simba turned to the older lions to give them their new orders. "Alright, for now we shall be taking a break from this conference. I believe King Malka has some catching up to do with his son and I will deal with the hyenas myself" he instructed.

The lions slowly exited the den until the only ones left inside were the hyenas, the kings, and the prince.

"Forgive me, I got ahead of myself. I am King Malka, and you two are?"

Sauda had to continuously remind herself to breathe and that the lions in front her won't hurt her or her pup. "My name is Sauda and this is my son, Jambo. You really don't have to thank me, it was my father who helped your son; all I did was fix his wounds."

"That is still something I must thank you for. As for your father, I will thank him when I see him. Who is he exactly?" asked Malka.

"The negotiator, he goes by the name, Banzai."

This was like a slap in the face for the kings whom were partially expecting this answer but also didn't see it coming. "So you're the daughter of the matriarch?" asked Malka and continued after receiving an affirmative nod from the hyena. "But then, why would you and your father do something like this?"

"So Banzai did keep to his word about changing" muttered Simba.

"What was that?"

"It's just…After I overthrew Scar; Banzai had promised me that he and the other hyenas would change for the better. It seems as if he was only able to succeed in changing himself and his daughter" explained Simba. "But it's clear that Shenzi still holds a strong grudge against lions."

"I'm afraid so…" said Sauda.

"But we have bigger problems than that" Jelani blurted out. "Both Chaka and Kula have been taken captive by the hyenas. And I'm afraid of what might happen to them if we don't do something!"

"I don't think they'll be killed or anything to that extent" Sauda stated. "But I think my mother is planning on invading and capturing this last land for the hyenas. We must find a way to protect the lions in some way because there's no way we can fight them on our own on our current state."

"She's right, even with our combined forces, we're nothing compared the Shenzi's massive army. What we need is some way to eliminate their troops in a flash without killing them" said Simba. "I don't have any idea how though."

"But why do they plan on attacking us in the first place?" asked Malka.

"They think that our pride is to blame for attacking their hunting party. Their commander Ed is at death's door…" Jelani told them.

"What?! But we would never do such a thing!" exclaimed the king in pure shock.

"We know but the matriarch wouldn't hear any of that. So instead, she sent an entire score of hyenas after us and that's how the other two got captured. Now they might launch an attack to retrieve Sauda and take revenge on us."

Sauda suddenly came up with an idea while Jelani was talking to his father. "This might sound crazy but it might just work. Isn't there a meerkat colony somewhere around here? We're going to need their assistance and as many able meerkats as possible."

"We're going to build an impenetrable wall of meerkats?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" shouted Sauda lightly cuffing her friend on the shoulder. "Anyway", she started as she turned to Simba. "My father told me tales of when he lived in the Pride Lands. And one of them included when Timon and two other meerkats created a pitfall trap that caused all the hyenas to fall. In other words…"

"Eliminating a large group of hyenas in a flash!" finished Simba. "That's brilliant! And with an entire colony, we can just loosen ground all around the area, wide enough to trap possibly hundreds! This way we can minimize bloodshed and possibly have them retreat so that they can recover allowing us to live and fight another time."

"Or maybe they will even surrender" added Sauda hopefully.

"Only one problem…The meerkat colony aren't exactly friends with us. They choose to stay away from all kinds of danger, including us" Malka pointed out.

"But we don't have a better plan and I doubt a bunch of lions could build huge ditches fast enough let alone remain underground for long periods of time" Jelani argued.

"So what do we do?" asked Sauda worriedly. "Just wait for the inevitable?"

"We'll convince them."

The carnivores turned and saw Tamina and Timon standing outside the den. Tamina had spoken and her face showed firm resolution. She was ready to protect the pride she loved even if that meant facing her uncle once more.

-X-

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Timon for the hundredth time.

"Yes…" Tamina replied for the hundredth time. But now that they were actually in front of the meerkat colony entrance, she was beginning to have second thoughts. "…No…But what can I do? Just watch an entire pride get overtaken by hundreds of hyenas? No…I can't let that happen and I won't! I'll convince them…somehow…"

"You sure you don't want me to threaten them or something? Anything to get them to do what we need them to do?" inquired Kopa. "It won't be hard, just bare my teeth and pretend I'm going to eat one or two of them." Kopa was the only other animal to join them in this negotiation attempt.

"No! It's like what Sauda told us earlier, we need to talk to them. Threatening them will only separate us even more. We need to bring the gap between animals closer to each other rather than having them drift apart" Tamina asserted.

"I'll go with you. I'm not going to leave you alone with that lunatic like I did last time" Timon assured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Tamina placed one of her own over his. She turned to her leonine friend with a slight smile of confidence. "I'll be fine with Timon, Kopa…Just wait out here…And _please_ stay here, it'll do me good to know that you're out here waiting for me."

Kopa nodded to show that he understood and the two meerkats stepped through the colony entrance at the same time. They were greeted with hundreds of scurrying meerkats all digging and being the busy little mammals they were. Many of them stopped when they saw the outsiders causing others to freeze in their work and stare coldly.

"What do the two of you want?" asked one of the meerkats snidely.

Tamina took one step forward and they all took one step back, many of them out of fear more than anything else. She sighed, knowing that this wouldn't be easy. Course, she didn't think it would be from the beginning. "Please…Allow Timon and I speak to my uncle-I mean the chief. We just need a few minutes with him."

"Forget it!" "Yeah, go jump in a ditch!" "Get lost!" "Go somewhere to die and rot!"

"Hey!" shouted Timon over their obscene suggestions. "Let Tamina speak! For all of you know, this could actually be beneficial to you!"

"Shut up!" "What the hell do you know?!" "Go back to the reject club!" "Die in a hole!"

"We _are_ in a hole!" shouted Timon, that last suggestion being the only one he had actually heard. When that wasn't efficient enough to get them to stop talking, he walked closer to the entrance and whistled. In response, Kopa stuck his muzzle into the hole and roared. The roar reverberated throughout the entire tunnel system, effectively shutting them up as well as causing a few others to pass out.

"Thank you" sighed Tamina. "Now can I…?"

She paused when she saw the familiar figure making his way through the mass of rodents. They parted like the Red Sea for him until he was in front of both Timon and Tamina. His permanent-looking frown made him seem so much bigger in comparison to them.

"They're in for it now" snickered one of the meerkats in a whisper.

"You don't scare us!" Timon remarked. "Come on Tamina! Tell him what we came here for!" When there was no reply, he looked next to him to find his companion shaking but she didn't look afraid. "Tammy?"

The chief smirked when he saw his shaking niece. "So you've got nothing to say to me girl? Good! Now begone! You're both nothing but a waste of air and time anyway." He turned his back to them which caused a nerve to pop on Tamina's forehead.

"Hey old man!" she called to him.

"What did you just call-?!" Before he could say any more, he just turned around to face them and that was when Tamina tackled him to the ground. She placed one foot on him to press him to the ground and used her arms to pick herself back up.

There was group gasp among the meerkats. Tamina put one hand next to her uncle's head and made it so that their noses were only a millimeter away from each other. She glared at him without any signs of fear or hesitation. "You listen and you listen up good! I'm here for one thing and one thing only! To get the meerkats that aren't corrupted and messed up in the head to help mend the bridge between lion and meerkat! So if you've got anything to say about it then you'll have to answer to me and my lion friend!"

Timon couldn't wipe off the smug smile on his face when he saw that it was Tamina's uncle that was cowering in fear this time and not her. But he also noticed how many of the meerkats were either really afraid or just plain angry.

"You let him go!" Yeah, you Amazon freak!" We don't need you here!" They began to throw…pebbles…at the pair of meerkats.

"Look!" shouted Tamina over their voices. Her voice echoed through the tunnels and they could all hear the desperation. Then they heard something else too, they could hear teardrops hitting the floor. One o them pointed to Tamina and they saw that it was she that was crying.

"I never wanted…I never wanted to put my uncle down no matter how much he hurt me…He was my only living family member left. But now I see that he isn't my family…My real family is with the lions. And it's with the colony in the oasis. And most of all…It's with my friends. And I don't care how much you hate me or how much you want to kill me! Just please…Please…I beg of you…Help me protect my family…The same way any of you would do for yours. It's not about…It's not about being brave…It's not about courage…It's about taking the extra mile to protect the ones you love. That's all I need…" she sobbed.

Many of the meerkats began to think about what Tamina was saying. "You're not all seriously going to do what she says are you?! It's obviously just her way of trying to get you all to help her! She'll get you all killed!" shouted her uncle.

Almost automatically, all the meerkats sided with him again. They began shouting over each other and arguing when they found that they thought differently from one another. Timon was just about to call on Kopa for assistance when another voice halted everything.

"STOP!"

-X-

**What does this mystery meerkat plan on saying to the meerkats, hm? Will they deter them from Tamina's speech or will she try to convince them to help out? Whoever guesses who this meerkat is gets a cookie! We'll see soon enough. Hope you all enjoyed it because it's going to take a while for the next chapter to come in.**


	21. Together We Stand

**It seems no one was able to correctly guess who the mystery meerkat was. Shame, I was kind of hoping someone would know although I guess it has been quite a while since she was first introduced. Guess it's time for the big reveal! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it reaches all your expectations and beyond. Oh, one more thing, at the time, Sierra was already dead so yes, that was her spirit talking to Afua. And also, I forgot to give credit to Vulaan Kulaas who gave me the name Amali.**

**Warning: A suggestive scene that may be offensive to one's cultural heritage.**

-X-

Timon and Tamina stopped whatever they were doing along with everyone else in the colony. They all turned to see Trisha standing with her fists clenched tightly and held firmly on her sides. She looked angrier than she did when she saw Timon for the first time a few days ago.

"What, you siding with those guys now?" asked one of the meerkats. This caused most of them to burst out in raucous laughter because they all believed that that would be impossible, Trisha being the follower of their chief.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" she stated clearly as she stood by her brother. None of the meerkats could've been more shocked than Timon who had literally dropped his jaw. "We've got to stop hiding and take action for once in our lives! If we don't…Well this colony is going to be in more trouble than the pride…"

"Don't be ridiculous! What can we possibly do?"

"Well if you all had just listened to them, maybe you would've heard what they were going to suggest" Trisha pointed out irately. "I'm not on the best terms with my brother or any predators but I'm prepared to make amends."

"What are you babbling on about!?" shouted the chief. "Trisha, if you don't stop with this betrayal then I will have no choice but to banish you from this colony!"

"Good luck living in the wild!" "You going to go run back to your mommy and you wittle brother?" "Or are you going to stick with us, the smart ones!"

Trisha blanched but didn't let it get to her. Instead she pretty much did the same thing Timon did; she just smiled and laughed loudly. The colony stopped and stared, they were completely speechless. Once she had stopped laughing, she made sure to take in the entire colony in a single glance.

"Would you guys believe that I've never said these words before? My little brother's right!" she laughed. "This is a seriously messed up colony!"

This brought up a huge uproar from the colony itself. They all gave their own arguments and protests. As seconds passed, the volume of their complaints slowly died down as Trisha only frowned but her demeanor didn't falter.

"That's another thing…You were all threatening me just now…You all threatened them only a few minutes ago…Is that all this colony knows how to do? I mean, do we actually follow the chief because we love him? Or he's a good leader? Or do we follow him because we're afraid of him? Because he threatens and beats us? While we're hiding from fear of the surface…We're living in fear underground. If that was the life all of you wanted, then fine, but me? I'm going to help my brother stop those hyenas!"

Things were silent for awhile but during this silence, the chief pushed his niece off of him and stood back up. He dusted himself off before rudely pushing Trisha into her brother's arms. "Oh, bravo with all the sappy speeches…But do you honestly believe that you can just waltz in here and turn my own colony against me? Of course not!" he snapped. "If any of you even think about joining this silly little army, then me my guest, you'll all be treated as exiles and will never return here!"

"…How is it beneficial to us?" asked a male meerkat after he had soaked in everything. He was facing Trisha, Timon, and Tamina.

"If those hyenas destroy the pride then there's no guarantee they'll stop. They'll keep growing, they'll keep expanding, and soon…You guys won't have any other place to run off too or hide" said Tamina. "But if you help us, we'll be able to stop that from happening and the lion pride will become our friends, not our predators."

"Don't be ridiculous! Lions are predators, you can't break the natural order of things!" her uncle argued.

"Well Timon and I have!"

"That's right!" added Timon after he had helped his sister stand back up. He walked up to the chief and looked him straight in the eye without any signs of fear like most of the colony would. "Simba and Kopa are our friends and they always will be! I never felt like I belonged in a colony but with the lions. With my family…I felt like I was home. I didn't feel like prey! My colony…They understand what it means to be a family but does it feel that way with you guys?"

"I have a little confession" said Trisha walking forward. "I've been on the surface lately." A loud gasp resounded through the tunnels. "Yes, I know big deal. Anyway, I've been observing our predators and I've noticed a particular trend running through them. They work like a family despite their differences but all we do is work like slaves for an oppressing ruler! Life isn't about being safe and surviving, it's about living!"

Tamina nodded in agreement. "I once heard this meerkat saying. Living things are going to die anyway, so what's the point of living? If all living things are born to die, then what's the point? Well I'll tell you! We weren't born to die, we were born to live! To laugh, to cry, to make friends, to fall in love, to be heartbroken, to live every day the way you want to, not the way everyone expects it to be. Everyone expects meerkats to live underground in fear of predators…But how do _you_ want to live?"

There was a long silence and the chief smirked because he believed he had won but then a small meerkat, one that most likely just passed kit hood piped up. "I've always wondered what the surface looked like."

"We…We don't like living in fear. We want to try something new…" added another. These two voices began to rise up and many more began to follow. Soon the whole tunnels were filled with a chorus of voices. Some were for them, others were against, but from the sounds of things, the former was winning.

"Fine!" shouted the chief. "Go if you want! You're all exiled! I don't need any of you! Join those rejects!" He marched back through the tunnels on his way back to his private chambers. The meerkats that still wanted to follow him went back to theirs.

"But where are we going to live?" asked one of the female meerkats.

"Don't worry; we'll make sure to handle everything when all of this is over. But for now…Here us out on the plan" assured Tamina with a smile.

Timon was glad; it was good that Tamina was smiling with her colony and not being treated as the outsider. He looked over at his sister and smiled at her. She smiled back. "I hope things can be okay with us again" said Trisha.

"You just stood up and helped us gain the support of two-thirds of a messed up colony. I now know you're better than I thought…I think we're going to be just fine" he chuckled. "You're the best sister ever…"

"I'm your only sister you dope."

"Huh, guess that makes you the worst sister ever too."

She rolled her eyes but she couldn't resist catching his smile. "Shut up…"

-X-

"It's time…" stated a hyena.

Shenzi sighed as she slowly stood up but despite her unenthusiastic behavior, she was all prepared to take revenge on the lions once and for all. She saw the full moon out when she left the den and noticed storm clouds rolling in. She stood atop a large rock so that she could address her enormous pack.

"My brethren, friends, pack mates! Tonight, we will end this war, and all our suffering will be over. We have more than enough hyenas to overpower and outmatch those felines! For years we've had to endure their abuse and unfair judgment, now it's time for them to face justice!" she roared. The hyenas roared alongside her to express their undying loyalty. "The lions have manipulated my own mate and daughter into believing that we are in the wrong! They have also caused our most faithful commander to be in serious condition. For all we know, he may not live. For all of these actions, I shall never forgive them! Tonight…We take vengeance!"

There was one final roar before they all began to move out.

It had been an hour or so since Banzai heard that roar. He laid his head down in between his paws as he wondered how much longer this could possibly last. He looked over at Ed who was just lying there, Banzai was unsure whether or not he was dead but he was too afraid to check.

It was such a shock when they had transported Ed to his cell earlier that day. At first, he had thought that Ed got himself arrested because he fought against other hyenas or something but in reality. Shenzi just told them to take the injured Ed to her mate's cell. She knew that Banzai would never hurt their friend even if other hyenas thought differently.

"…B-Banzai…"

Banzai's head shot up as he looked towards his friend's still body. At first, he thought it had been just his imagination but then Ed repeated his name in another cough. "Ed! You're all right, thank the Great Spirit!" exclaimed Banzai as he rushed over.

"Where's…Where's Shenzi?" Ed whispered. His voice was all raspy and he didn't even seem strong enough to stand, it was a surprise for him just to be speaking right now but not because he's usually silent.

"You need your rest. Don't worry about a thing" Banzai shushed him.

Ed recoiled a bit from Banzai's touch but only because he was sore all over and every part of him was extremely sensitive at the moment. "It's…Its urgent! Shenzi has to hear this or the pride and pack will just be playing into his paws!" Ed grunted.

"Whoa, slow down. What do you mean? Who's paws are they playing into?" asked Banzai.

"That lion that told us about those dead hyenas, the ones that were supposedly attacked by the lions. He lied to us! He attacked those hyenas, I'm sure of it!" said Ed as he tried to stand up. "That's why there was no hard evidence that it was the pride that killed them!"

Banzai allowed Ed to lean on him so that he could maintain his balance. "But I don't understand. We haven't seen that lion in months, how do you know this?"

"Think, what distinguishing characteristics did that lion have?"

Banzai paused as he dug through his memories and pulled up an image of Hasani in his head. There was nothing in particular that offset him from other lions except… "The mark…That peculiar U-shaped mark on his shoulder with a line running through it…"

"I saw that mark again. It was on a buzzard that I saw flying away after I got crushed by those rocks. And if I remember correctly, it was on those zebras also!"

Banzai gritted his teeth in rage, to think there were creatures that would risk and sacrifice their own just to accomplish something that didn't even involve him. "They tried to kill you! They tried to kill the hunting party!"

"But that's not what they were trying to do! They wanted to do the same thing as they did before; they want to frame the lions!" Ed finally revealed.

Banzai frozen as his mind processed this. When it finally had, he helped Ed towards the two hyenas standing guard at the front of the cell. "You have to let us out, we need to go tell the matriarch something of the utmost urgency!"

The guards looked at each other before the female spoke up. "I'm sorry Lord Banzai, but we can't do that. The matriarch's orders…We wish we could do something but…"

"Listen, I'm know you're only following orders and you can't just release us but please…Innocents are going to die on that battlefield and I can't stand the thought that my mate and my daughter may be among the dead. Just do me this one favor and I promise you, I _promise_ you, that I'll repay you with everything, _everything_ you could ever want" he pleaded. It was a bit pathetic how a 'lord' was begging them but it was all he could do.

The guards glanced at each other once more but this time, Ed was the first to speak up. "I'm not a prisoner, let me go. If I…Or rather, if neither of us do, then our families may not be returning from the battlefield, _your_ families may not be returning. I know I don't have any blood relations but this pack is my family, and I want them all to come home, safe…We need to go there…"

The guards were lost in what to do but the choice seemed obvious now.

-X-

"What could he have meant mother?" asked Kiara. It was already night and she and her mother were going over the events from earlier that day. Vitani was included in this conversation since she was part of their royal family now. "Should we take his advice?"

"Well, we obviously can't just leave while there are others still at the Western Kingdom" said Nala after some thought. "For now we should just lie low and stay as safe as possible. First thing we do when Simba and the others get back is tell him what's been happening."

The two princesses agreed with her on that but Vitani also had her own input in this. "But the lionesses that were there, they're all unsettled by what that rogue had said, they need a strong leader to help them out. They're a bit reluctant to hunt now and I'm still not ready to be out there myself."

Nala sighed; she never expected her job as queen and for their jobs as princesses to get so much more difficult all of a sudden. "All right…Here's the deal, starting tomorrow, I'm going back on lead hunter duty. You two will watch over the cubs including your own of course. I'll ask Afua to take over the king's duties and ask Mosi of the cheetah clan for assistance as well."

"Things just got a lot tougher huh" Vitani sighed.

"No kidding" agreed Kiara. She knew that the heavy atmosphere had to be lifted somehow so she decided to give it a shot herself. "Well, at least we get to experience what it's like to be the babysitter instead of being the babysat."

Vitani smirked, catching on to her sister-in-law's humor. "Yeah, maybe we'll find out what makes Timon and Zazu complain so much about cubs."

The three lionesses laughed along with each other feeling as if they hadn't had a single moment to relax in quite a while which might be accurate.

"I'm so glad the two of you are able to get along like this. The kingdom is definitely in good paws" Nala smiled. "I wonder if I'll even miss being the queen."

"Oh, don't worry, if you miss being the queen so much then Kopa and I will just run away so that you and Simba can have some more time with the throne" Vitani smiled slyly.

"That's so cruel!"

"Yeah Vitani, leaving me and Kovu behind, how could you?!" gasped Kiara in mock hurt. "To think you'd leave the pressure on us!"

Her sister-in-law smiled and rolled her eyes in a relenting manner. "Fine, you two can come along."

Nala laughed along with them. "Honestly, the two of you can be too much sometimes!"

-X-

"Hasani…Are you all right?" asked Thimba when they were alone. "You've been behaving a bit differently and I'm a little bit worried."

Hasani glanced over at Thimba and was grateful to have at least one friend that truly cared about him. "I thank you for your concern, but believe me when I say I'm just fine. I just…I just can't get over the shock of Kanu's rejection. I really thought that he of all people would believe in me, would agree with me…"

"…Some…Some people have different standards…They have different boundaries and for Kanu, I guess you just crossed the line for him. You shouldn't take it personally, he's probably feeling hurt just like you are."

"Heh, I doubt it, but thank you…"

Things were silent now as they listened to the light dancing pitter patter of the first droplets of rain. It progressively got stronger as more time passed by and the cold wind began to pick up as well. Thimba was almost sure he could see his breath in the damp den.

"Do you think the war has started between the my-um, the Eastern and Western Kingdom and the hyenas yet?" asked Thimba.

Hasani nodded before giving a more accurate answer. "I know it's started already and I am sure that if it goes uninterrupted, they will destroy each other, not completely, but until they have almost completely diminished to nothing."

"So you think neither side will win that war?"

"No…Both sides will suffer minimal casualties, possibly none at all."

This came as a surprise for the younger lion. "What makes you say that?"

"One of the buzzards told me that Kovu is on his way to the battle grounds. You may think that one lion can't possibly change the results of a war but he doesn't plan on fighting, I can tell. There's something he knows that not even the leaders of either side knows…As expected of my half-brother and the son of that devilish lioness" Hasani scoffed.

Thimba became silent here, he just watched as the rain hit the ground in a rhythmic pattern. He sighed to himself and this time he did see his breath. He shivered as a chilly breeze swept right through him, causing various parts of him to go numb.

"Are you cold?" asked Hasani. There was a hint of concern in his voice which broke his usual stoicism.

"Kind of…" _'How are you able to handle this cold?'_

Thimba was caught by surprise when Hasani moved in closer to Thimba and wrapped an arm around him. "It's going to keep raining all night so I'll keep you warm through the rest of it…" he said softly.

The younger lion could feel the heat rise to his face as he stammered. "Y-You do realize that w-we're both males r-right? D-Don't you think that this is a bit odd even if it's just for the sake of k-keeping warm?"

"You don't have much a choice unless you want to catch pneumonia. Don't worry about a thing, just rest, you'll need it…"

Thimba was speechless so he could only nod in response as he pressed his face into Hasani's mane. That was the answer to the question he asked himself a little bit earlier, it was the fluffy mane that kept his companion warm.

-X-

"_We must find a new king for the Southern Kingdom already; it's only a matter of time before a rogue group decides to come after us because they think we're weak without a leader!" an elderly lion stated hurriedly._

_Another elder, this one, a female, nodded in agreement. "It may have been a month since the previous king's unfortunate end but there's no telling what may happen. Things have been quite unstable amongst the great kingdoms as of late."_

"_Yes, that's true, with that one rogue that seems to wage war on every kingdom" another lion said shaking his head in what looked to be disappointment. "We must appoint a new leader…"_

"_What do you think Tojo? We've been putting it off for so long now, but don't you think we should pass the crown down to someone already even if the king had no heir?" asked the lioness. _

_They all directed their attention to a rather silent lion. His eyes were leveled and he wasn't as unsettled as any of the others. He had a blue bird on one shoulder as if patiently awaiting something to happen, what it was, no one could tell. His emotionless and silent demeanor caused many of the elders there to wonder if he was even paying any attention to the meeting at all._

"_Erm…Tojo?" inquired one of the lions._

"_A new leader…" Tojo muttered to himself. This caused the entire room to be as quiet as he was earlier. "…It's difficult to tell if one is a good leader or a bad one so we must be careful of whom we choose. Are there any candidates to choose from?"_

"_Well, there's Jashu…He is very strong and has led this kingdom to many victories as well as strike fear to the hearts of enemies so that we do not have to resort to violence. His massive size will ward off any lion that may try to oppose us" suggested a lion._

_The lioness, the only one that had been speaking scoffed at the very idea. "He also wards off the females of this pride! You think we'll be able to get an heir from him. And let's not forget what has happened to every pride that has a feared leader but not a wise one."_

_Tojo seemed to agree with her and looked around for any other suggestions._

"_There's a Silu. He's highly intelligent and did save the herds when they suffered a famine during that extra long dry season a few years back. Not to mention he is the only on in this kingdom who had bested our previous king in a match" another lion said._

_The lion that first spoken in the meeting put down the idea as quickly as the previous one had been. "My nephew has no restraint, he cannot control his temper. He may be wise but he still has a long way to go in terms of kindness. We cannot have a ruler who does not know how to be civilized and diplomatic."_

"_Then we've run out of ideas, there are no other lions that could be capable of being king."_

_Tojo shook his head as if he was in a room full of idiots. "Don't forget, there is still one other lion that may be capable. He's strong, smart, and has a heart as pure as the greatest of kings. I do believe he will make an amazing ruler for us."_

"_You don't mean…" the lioness started but didn't finish. Tojo nodded, knowing that they were thinking of the same lion. _

"_But he's not even from our kingdom!" countered one of the other lions. "We can't have an outsider be king!"_

"_I am an outsider and you have me as your lead elder" Tojo retorted. "And he has been in this kingdom for years now, how can you say he is an outsider? He and I came here together, we both know each other well and I can assure all of you, you will find no better lion suited for the duties of the king as he."_

_Things were silent for a long time as they all considered this very carefully. "…Well…If you trust him that much…" the lioness relented._

"_Good…Are there any objections?" asked Tojo. When none came up, he smiled. "I shall ask him myself to see if he even wants to become king. If he does then we'll hold the coronation to the public, and by that I mean we shall invite the other kingdoms. We must tie new bonds between the kingdoms or they will be severed forever. When they arrive, they will hear the name of our new king resonate with the winds of Mount Kilimanjaro."_

-X-

**The ending of this was sort of a preview to the next story since this one is almost over and this chapter was too short without it. The next chapter is the last one next to the epilogue so here you have it. Hope you all enjoyed! Leave a review so I know what you think.**


	22. The End

**This is it, the last chapter before the epilogue, I'm shocked that this story is almost over and it's got only a third of the views than the first one and a little bit more than half the reviews. A lot of my usual readers, I've noticed haven't even reviewed lately so I'm assuming they're just super busy which I totally get. But I just wish they could continue reading. Well, here's the latest installment to Story of the Stars, hope you all enjoy it.**

-X-

"Come on meerkats, move it! Those hyenas could be here at any given minute!" Tamina shouted. She wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead as she continued her digging. Trisha and the others moved along with her in the same rhythm.

"Well, why isn't that other meerkat helping?" asked one of the workers, referring to Timon.

"Trust me, you don't want him in this tunnel unless you want to die" Trisha said, giving him a weary grin. "Man, I feel like my arms are going to fall off if I keep this up. I don't remember one time when digging was this difficult."

"No kidding" muttered Tamina.

Timon jumped into the tunnel and ran up to Tamina and his sister. "There here. According to Kopa, they'll reach the camp in less than half an hour. Is the trap all set?"

"We've almost got half the perimeter done but there's no way we'll be able to finish it all in thirty minutes" Trisha reported. "It took us seven hours just to do all of this! We'll never make it!"

"And we need at least ten of those thirty minutes to evacuate everyone out of here before the arrival" added Tamina.

"it'll have to do, everyone work's done! We need to get out of here!" Timon shouted at everyone. "Remember that the lions are our friends, no screaming or fainting like the first time. Single file, single file! Hey! Don't pee on that wall! Oy…"

"Timon, he's a kit, he can't help it" Trisha said. "We need to get out of here too."

"Wait Trisha, we still have to ask you to do one last thing for us, that is, if you're okay with it. I didn't want to ask you but Tamina insisted that there was no one else we could ask so…" Timon stuttered. "Well, you know…I get if you don't want to…"

"Just spit it out already baby brother" Trisha sighed.

"Right! Look, those sticks we put into place, we need meerkats to push them down to cause a chain reaction and the surface to cave in. But it's incredibly dangerous because it's possible we could get killed which is why we couldn't ask of this with the others. So could you please do this for us?" begged Timon.

Trisha stared at her brother for what seemed like hours before she covered her mouth in an attempt to mask her laughter. "I used to think that risking your life was stupid, I still think that but I also see the other side of it now. As long as you live, it's not stupid, it's brave. And I think I'm ready to become like you two."

"Yup, join us, the duo of idiots" Tamina chuckled. "All right, let's get into our positions. Trisha, you stand right over there and wait for Kopa's signal, when it comes, you push that stake with all your might so that it topples over and the domino effect is done."

"Got it!" Trisha said as she scurried off.

"I'll get to my station, Timon, you be careful" Tamina said to the male.

"Wait, Tammy!" Timon called, grabbing her wrist to pull her back towards him. He seemed slightly hesitant now that he was alone with her, standing face to face. "I…This may not be the best time to tell you this but I don't think I can any other time."

Tamina tilted her head to one side to show that she was giving him her full attention. "No need to be shy Timon, it's just us, and you know you can tell me anything. But you should better be quick with it, we literally don't have all day."

"I…I like you…a lot…" Tamina was certainly not expecting this to come from Timon. The male meerkat half chuckled; half coughed when she didn't respond. "Yeah, it was stupid to say something like that at a time like this. Sorry I brought it up…" he chuckled nervously as he sadly turned away.

"Wait" she said as she grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled into one of her spine-crushing hugs. She held onto him tightly as if he was going to disappear or evaporate somehow. Timon was in shock at first but then he smiled and hugged her back. "I don't like you back…I love you Timon…More than any meerkat I've ever met" she breathed into his shoulder.

"…I love you too…" he whispered back. "…When this is all over…"

"Yeah?"

"When this is all over…I want you to become my mate. I know we've pretty much passed our prime but I want to spend the rest of our days with each other. So when this is all over…I'll ask you…And then you can give me a proper response…"

"You could ask me ten thousand times and the answer would still be the same. Yes, I want to be your mate."

"Okay lovebirds, we've got to get moving" chirped Trisha while trying to hold in her laughter. Timon and Tamina both pulled away with each other and blushed madly underneath their fur. "Usually I'd be all giddy that I'm going to have a sister and that my baby brother is growing up but due to our current situation, we've got other things to do."

"Right…Just one question, why'd you come back here and how much of that did you hear?" asked Timon.

Trisha rolled her eyes as she gave her brother a partially tired expression. "Just because you say them together doesn't make them one question. I heard all of it and I came back because I heard Timon say, 'Wait Tamina!', so I assumed something romantic was going to go down and I wanted to see it with my own eyes."

"Just get into position already!" Kopa called from above.

"Kopa?! Don't tell me you were eavesdropping too! What did I tell you about that?!" Tamina shouted back up.

"Okay, he has a point and watching you yell at the ceiling is really weird. Come on, we don't have much time!" Trisha exclaimed. The three of them exchanged one last glance at each other before running off in different directions.

-X-

Pumbaa led the meerkats far away from where the battle was going to take place. He didn't like the fact that he would have no idea what would be going on or the idea of the two species tearing each other apart. Everything that he could possibly imagine just seemed unpleasant in his mind but he had a job to do and he knew he shouldn't get distracted. Even if he couldn't protect the pride or the pack, he could at least protect the colony.

"Everyone, right in here, be sure to stay as quiet as possible, you don't know what stray predators could be around. Don't worry about a thing" instructed the warthog as he showed the smaller prey animals to a cave on the outskirts of hyena territory. It was unlikely that a hyena would find them due to the rain covering up their noise and scent.

"Do you think that the tunnel we dug was sufficient? It's not nearly wide or deep enough to trap the hyenas for very long" pointed out one of the meerkats. "I doubt it'll be of much use and what about Trisha and the others?"

"They're needed for the trap to work and don't worry about that other stuff. Thanks to the rain, it'll make the edges of the trap a slippery mudslide from all sides which is pretty difficult to get out from" Pumbaa assured him.

One of the meerkats had crazy eyes and he kept looking around himself as if to find a predator standing next to or behind him. It was clear to all of them that he was more than a little paranoid. "Are you sure it's safe? What do we do if a predator does come here? What'll we do then?" he asked.

"No worries let me deal with them and Tamina will be here soon, she's tougher than any predator I know of." This placed new thoughts into Pumbaa's mind though. It's true that Tamina could protect them from predators but that would all depend on whether or not she and the other two could get out of the tunnels before they're crushed.

Squished meerkat was not a pleasant thought right now but it went right along with the other bad thoughts in his mind. It was pretty difficult to think positive even after all the chaos he's been through in his life. "Hakuna Matata…" he muttered to himself.

-X-

They're approximately thirty feet from the where the trap is set, the signal will be set off when they are about three yards away from us" Jelani whispered in Kopa's ear when they saw Shenzi's pack in front of them.

"Got it" Kopa replied. They watched as their fathers moved up just a little bit closer so that they could address the matriarch directly.

"Matriarch Shenzi, there is no need to resort to violence, we can sort this out peacefully" Malka tried. "My son told me why you came here now but I can assure you, my pride did absolutely nothing to your hunting party."

"Silence!" Shenzi shouted with the boom of the thunder in the background to amplify that one word. "I know what happened so there is no point in trying to deny it! For too long, too long now, our kind has been subjects to lions and we have had enough of it! You ever think that maybe we were more intelligent than you make us out to be? Or were we all the same to you? Just vermin that can be stepped on and ignored?" Her loyal subjects and warriors all booed and roared to show how against that they were.

"You're wrong Shenzi, we never thought of hyenas that way!" Simba argued feebly.

"Lies!" Shenzi roared back ferociously. "Even if that was true, what about the rest of your family? Your father treated us as if we were always below lions. As if we didn't deserve to eat, didn't deserve to live even! How can you say that is right, hm?" More furious roars and boos met after she had finished.

"My father was only trying to protect me! And when he had treated you harshly…It was only because he thought you were stealing food from the Pride Lands, he didn't know you were giving it to Sca-Taka!" Simba retorted. "He didn't mean to treat you wrongly."

"In order for us to 'steal' food from the Pride Lands, we'd have to have been banished from the Pride Lands? Or at least never be allowed inside it" Shenzi said as if she had thought long and hard about this. "Who do you think was responsible for that? And no, it wasn't your father but your grandfather, Ahadi. He banished us from the Pride Lands for no good reason except that we couldn't be trusted according to him!"

"He…I mean…I don't know what happened then but I am sorry on his behalf!" Simba choked out. It was clear that he was losing this argument and there was no way he could get back up. "But things don't have to be like this!"

The matriarch ignored him and continued on. "Then there is your uncle Taka, I'm sorry, your uncle _Scar_!" she spat the name venomously as if he meant less than nothing to her. "He didn't just treat us ruthlessly but he killed off our own! He worked us over and even called us enemies when we were supposed to be friends! But I guess a lion can say anything nowadays. Well no more! It's time we end this cycle of torture." Another loud response but this time they were war cries not angered roars.

"Please, no one has to die!" Malka pleaded desperately.

"You're right; no one does have to die. Surrender now and never come back here or your pride will be no more" Shenzi smirked. "You see…We're not as heartless as everyone makes us out to be. I love my pack mates as much as you lions love your pride mates and yet you make it impossible for us to be 'friends'."

"Tell you what! If you guys can make it past the sinkhole in between us, then we'll surrender" Jelani shouted at the hyenas. "We set up this trap based off the one you had fallen in years ago Shenzi so we both know that it can and will work."

The hyenas were hesitant to move even an inch forward as they pressed their paws slowly on the ground in front of them. They were unsure if Jelani was speaking the truth or it was just a bluff. "Perhaps I was being unclear, you have only one option now, surrender" said Shenzi as she pulled up two familiar looking figures behind her.

The combined prides gasped in shock as they all recognized the two figures to be the mangled and injured bodies of Chaka and Kula. They were still breathing but just barely, it looked as if they could die at any given moment.

"No, Chaka, Kula!" Jelani cried out.

"Ha ha, what do you think of_ that_ princey?!" cackled one of the hyenas hysterically. He batted Kula over the head and she snapped at him ferociously but then cringed back when he flicked her forehead. No lion from the Pride Lands had ever seen Kula so frail and weak.

"So, what'll it be?" asked Shenzi coolly.

"It's like we said, you get past that sinkhole and we'll surrender" Kopa replied back, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"It's clearly a bluff to draw out your inevitable demise" drawled Shenzi. "Hyenas! Do not believe what they say about their fake little trap. Go ahead and tear them to shreds!" She was going to continue when she noticed something a little too late.

Tama and Sauda leaped out from where they had been hiding near the hyena troops. Sauda jumped onto her mother and Tama got the two prisoner lions to come with her, they rolled down the slippery hill and raced away following Tama's lead.

The hyena that had cackled was about to attack Sauda but she leaped over him and ran after Tama and the other two who were having trouble keeping up due to their injuries. "Don't just stand there, get them!" ordered one of Shenzi's commanders.

"The rest of you!" snapped Shenzi as she stood back up. She watched as a third of her troops pursued to runaways. "I call their bluff, it was just a distraction so that they could free their friends, tear them to shreds before they have the chance to strike us!"

The rest of the hyenas howled and roared together as they charged at the lions. Kopa waited until they were five…four…three…"Now!" Kopa shouted over the foot stomping.

Underground, each of the three meerkats heard the signal and pushed the pillars as hard as they could. When the last pillar had fallen on their side, when the earth began to crumble away above them, and when the first hyena paw could be seen falling; the meerkats hightailed it out of there.

The scurried at top speed on all fours, making sure to avoid every piece of earth and every hyena that came crashing down. The kept on running until they were side by side, then Timon and Tamina slowed down so that Trisha was ahead of them and then it was Tamina, and finally, Timon. They ran in one straight line, into a secret passageway made specifically for their escape. The entrance was closed off soon enough by a hyena and they ran off, knowing that their task was officially finished.

Shenzi was less than discouraged when she saw more than half her army diminish right before her very eyes. Many had fallen on top of one another and were covered in mud, furthermore, they were unable to escape the pit.

"We warned you" muttered Kopa.

Shenzi bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood and she was enraged to the point of exploding. She roared as every memory and reason why she hated lions came back into her mind and taunted her. "Don't stand there! Just go around and then get them!" she barked.

The remainder of her forces circled the trap and went after the lions that were more than ready to take them on. Shenzi knew that she wouldn't be able to win with so much less on her side so she was hoping the group that had given chase to the escapees would get back soon.

-X-

Tama pushed the two former prisoners into the bushes and flung herself with them too. Sauda followed right behind and the hyenas were just about to follow when they were met with ten more lions pushing them back with much more force.

"Quite an elaborate plan you lions had set up" growled the hyena in charge. She was the same hyena guard that had been indifferent in almost everything.

"You hyenas aren't too shabby yourselves" one of the lions replied.

"All right, I'm going to heal your wounds so don't worry about a thing" Sauda told the two injured lions as they remained hidden. "Just don't move and everything will be just fine. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Thank you Sauda…You've been a big help" Chaka choked out. "Oh…And thank you for helping out my best friend…"

"Don't get too mushy now, I'm sure your prince will be here anytime now" Kula chuckled. But she held her stomach when a sharp pain shot through her. "Maybe I shouldn't laugh for now…At least, not until you fix us up…"

"I just wish all hyenas could get along with hyenas as well as I do" Sauda muttered.

-X-

"Oh, thank goodness, fresh air!" exhaled Tamina as she exited the hole with the help of Pumbaa. Timon soon followed right after her.

"We might be safe here but there's no way the pride stands a chance against that pack" Trisha said as she looked over at the battlefield. "While it looks like only a fourth of the pack is fighting the battle, it's still a lot of hyenas."

"Yeah, I can hear the roars from all the way up here" Timon muttered in agreement.

"Hyenas! We're going to die!" screeched one of the meerkats behind them. Timon and his sister turned around quickly to find four hyenas looking at them curiously and Tamina ready to beat them up with her own paws.

"Pumbaa, Timon, it's us, Banzai and Ed" stated one of the hyenas.

Timon and Pumbaa glanced at each other before coming over to them a bit cautiously. Tamina was right behind, ready to knock them out if she had to. Even through the dark night and pouring rain, they could still make out the familiar aged faces. "Ed, you're injured, do you need some medical attention?" asked Pumbaa.

"He'll be fine, but please, we need your help. Get us down to the battlefield, Ed's got some information that will end this war now" Banzai told him. "If we don't get there then the pack and pride will end up eliminating each other."

Things were silent except for the pouring rain, the old once enemies looked each other in the eyes. All four of them were just waiting for the other to say something. "…We'll take you down there, but please tell us that this info will surely end this" said Pumbaa finally.

"I can't promise you that…But it just might" Banzai replied.

"…Its chance we'll have to take then…"

"Pumbaa, you sure about this buddy?" asked Timon.

"I know we can trust them even if you don't. After everything's that's happened…We just need to trust these guys" Pumbaa assured his best friend.

"Well…It's true…I don't trust them…" Timon sighed. "But I do trust you Pumbaa, so I'm going to go with you on this, I hate to admit it but I know you're always right. Well…Most of the time, you're not _always_ right of course."

"Thanks Timon" said Pumbaa before another thought popped to mind. "Wait, so does that mean you intentionally steal my ideas and pretend that it was one that you just thought up?"

"Well…Sometimes…"

"Well, maybe you should think about how I would feel-."

"Guys!" Tamina interrupted before the conversation could take any longer. "Do we really have time for this? Right now, those predators could be ripping each other to shreds and you guys are talking about something that doesn't really matter at this current moment of time."

"Right!" said Timon. He hopped onto the back of Pumbaa and was ready to take off. "Tamina, you need to stay here and protect those other meerkats and Banzai, leave one of the hyenas here to help out just in case but don't you dare eat any of them."

While one of the other hyenas stepped out of the group to stand next guard next to Tamina, Trisha hopped onto Pumbaa as well. "I'm coming with you little brother" Trisha told Timon when he gave her 'What do you think you're doing?' look. "I'm starting to like the feeling of danger and adventure but don't worry, I won't take it too far. Now let's go!"

Timon shrugged as they got ready to go. "Wait!" called Tamina. "Two things, first, you need to take the information to where Jelani is, they're too far to know what's going on at the main battle. After that, go straight to the war grounds. And the second thing…Be careful…"

Timon nodded and they all took off with Ed being partially carried by Banzai and the other hyena. Pumbaa was in the lead showing them where to go. They just hoped that they could make it in time.

-X-

Shenzi growled to herself as she saw that many of the lions weren't even trying to fight back, they were just pushing her hyenas back and causing them to slip into the pit. The felines on the other hand were making sure to stay away from the pit as it seemed that the hyenas were angry enough to rip them limb from limb if one of them fell in.

Shenzi turned her enraged gaze on Simba, the lion she believed that has caused the most torment in her life. It was because of him and his family that she has suffered this way. Even before his father's time, it was Ahadi who had banished hyenas, it was Mohatu who had killed hundreds, it was all Simba and his ancestors. She could only think of one thing she wanted to do at that very moment…

She leaped over the pit, jumping on top of her own hyenas if she had to, proving that she was very agile despite her age, until she had fallen onto Simba. They rolled around for a bit before stopping with the smaller predator on top of the other, she snarled in his face and the whole battle seemed to stop.

The heads of tons of hyenas and lions turned to the leaders of this battle. "Dad!" Kopa called out.

Simba pushed Shenzi off of him but she quickly got back up. They glared at each other and were prepared to kill their opponent if they had to. Despite the fact that Shenzi was at a disadvantage due to her age and size, she looked as if she could've killed Simba if she had the chance to.

"Let this decide the future of this land" Shenzi growled. "If you win and kill me…It will be up to my hyenas. They will either leave because their matriarch is dead or they will stay and fight in my honor. Whichever it is, I don't care anymore. All I want is you dead at my paws."

"…You…You must think you have nothing else to live for then" Simba concluded.

"What else is there for me? My own daughter and grandson will never return to me and there is no way Banzai will ever come back either. My pack mates are my friends but not the personal ones I can talk to about anything. The only one like that is Ed and chances are, he won't make it" Shenzi snapped.

This was war, emotions were to be thrown away at this time but Simba couldn't help feeling sorry for her. And even though she didn't think he could see it, he knew she was crying her heart out. The only way to mend her broken heart now was for her to kill him.

"If I am the one who ends up dying…My pride…and Malka's…I don't know what will happen but I don't want them to die…I hope they will surrender" Simba said to her slowly. He glanced over at his son and gave him a smile. "This will end it all…"

"I shall hope so…"

Shenzi roared and pounced on the king, time moved slowly for the next few seconds. The only sounds that could've been made out were the pounding of the rain, the boom of the thunder, and Kopa shouting over everything else. "NO!"

-X-

**And that was the end...Will I be killing off Simba of all characters or will he live to see another story? You'll just have to read the epilogue which is actually a direct continuation of this chapter but I'm still counting it as an epilogue. Hope you all enjoyed and please review. I can't take the minimum amount of reviews I get anymore!**


	23. Epilogue: Truth Be Told

**Exams are finally over and yes, I know, I suck at fight or battle scenes. It's just; those kinds of scenes require a lot of description and the knowledge of various body parts. And one other thing, the names for my stories are at the bottom of my profile but as a reminder, the next story in this saga is called Book of Black Pride. Hope you all enjoy this because it's going to be a while until I can get anything new on Lion King for quite some time.**

-X-

Shenzi was only a foot away from samba when someone barreled into her, pushing her out of the way. He pinned the matriarch to the ground and was breathing quite heavily. "I…I finally made it…" he huffed in a tired voice.

Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the battlefield and anyone could see that the hyenas were outraged and were ready to start mauling again. But Shenzi was the only hyena who didn't react as such, she was staring up at the figure that was holding her down. "…Taka…?" she whispered.

"I'm not him Shenzi…But I carry his legacy."

"Kovu!" Simba said when he realized that it was his son-in-law. He ran over to the darker lion and pushed him off of the matriarch. "What are you doing here? I told you to watch the pride!" Simba said to him.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you but I wasn't ready. I was running myself ragged doing all of that by myself and don't say I wasn't alone! I know I wasn't but you should've known, you were king before you were ready, we both thought we could do it on our own so we didn't accept anyone's help at first" Kovu said to him. "But I know Nala, Kiara, and Vitani can handle it because they know when they need each others' help. And from the looks of things, you needed mine."

Simba sighed knowing that the youth was right. "That's true enough…But…Why did you come all the way here?"

"Because I know something you don't."

The hyenas were just about to advance on the lions when Shenzi stopped them. She took a few steps closer to Kovu and Simba. "What do you mean, you know something he doesn't? does this have to do with Scar?" she asked.

She was letting her curiosity get the better of her, she knew that, but she didn't care at this movement. The more she stood looking at Kovu, the more she kept thinking of her old friend and all the days when things were happy in her life. She was trying harder than ever to keep her tears at bay.

All the lions were now on one side and the hyenas were on the opposite just like when the war began. None of the hyenas were wounded or injured, or even scratched; they were just covered in mud. The lions on the other hand, sustained several injuries, but none of them had the heart to kill a hyena or even injure it to the point of immobility, not after Sauda came along. Even though it was only a few hours, they really got to know about hyenas and their harsh lives from past to present through her.

"Scar…Or Taka rather…died because he chose too. He learned that what he had been doing was wrong and he knew that Simba was still alive at the time. He knew Simba would return one day and he knew that that day would be his last" Kovu said. He was directing himself to both the matriarch and the king as he spoke. "He knew that a king, a great king, wouldn't kill a family member, even if they deserved it. So he made sure that it was you guys, the hyenas that did it."

The rain sounded as if it had gotten louder since no one uttered a single word or sound. It was a story none of them could really believe let alone make sense of unless they had heard the earlier stories of Taka.

"Choosing death instead of life…Is stupid" Simba finally said.

"I know what you mean, but he did what he thought was right. In a way, he finally did something right as king" Kopa intervened. "I know that living would've been a better way for him but when you think about it, it's not really good enough for his hyena friends. Even though they were friends, he treated cruelly and always used him being a lion as a threat to them; he probably believed that the only way the hyenas would forgive him was death by their paws."

Shenzi gritted her teeth as tears began to stream down her eyes. "Well I still don't forgive him!" she shouted at them. "I knew what he did was extremely wrong but to think he let us kill him! We could've started over together but he chose to give up on life! What the hell is the matter with him?!"

"He wanted _us_ to start over."

Everyone turned and saw the other hyenas that had run off and Tama's group there as well. But what was really surprising was the fact that Pumbaa, two meerkats, Ed, and Banzai, the one who had spoken were there as well.

"If you remember, Scar…Taka…He chose to stay in the Pride Lands even though the lands were dying and there was little to no chance of us surviving. Yet he chose to stay there" Banzai said as he walked towards his mate. "If he had left with us in exile, he wouldn't have been able to take it. The Pride Lands was his home, and the only one he ever knew, leaving it would've just been too difficult for him. But he knew we didn't deserve that so he wanted _us_ to start over."

Kovu took a couple steps closer to the matriarch and her hyenas tensed up, ready to pounce and kill. But what he did instead surprised them all; he bowed his head to Shenzi. "I know that what Scar did to you was wrong and since he is no longer among us, I shall apologize for him. If you hate him as much as you say you do, destroy what he had last aimed for as the tyrant, an heir…I am Scar's heir."

Shenzi was silent as she looked at the other lions. None of them were in a battling position anymore and they were just watching this. It was like the lions were waiting for the hyenas to decide the fate of the Western Kingdom. She then turned to her hyena division that had given chase to the escape prisoners. "Why did all of you choose to stop fighting?"

"Commander Ed and Lord Banzai told us something that you may want to hear, matriarch…" her commander told her.

"It wasn't Malka's pride that had attacked me…We've been played. It was that lion that we had met and told us that the treaty had been broken, it was Hasani we have to blame for our suffering" Ed said slowly. "Those zebras had been his puppets…"

"Puppets…" Shenzi whispered. Her fierce demeanor came back in a rush as she remembered something else. "Hyenas have always been used as pawns in the sick game lions call life! Since the beginning of the first Pride War, which by the way; should've been known as the massacres of hyenas everywhere! Our kind was blamed for a crime that was never backed by evidence. And since then, we've been hated by all!"

"I know it wasn't hyenas to blame!" Pumbaa shouted. He ran forward and stood right next to Kovu with the lions behind him. He left Timon and Trisha with Sauda. "It was a lion…He started the war. And I know that we're all sorry for what we have done to your kind. Just please…End this war now…"

None of the hyenas agreed with this though, they all wanted to rake out their rage and desire for vengeance on the lions. Pumbaa was distressed not knowing what to do but Simba did. The king took a place on the other side of his son-in-law and bowed his head down as well.

It created a wave of lions doing the same until everything had become silent. "We are sorry on behalf of all our kind for mistreating hyenas and blaming them for the Pride War. We now know that we were in the wrong. If you truly want to closure and this is the only way you can have it then so be it. We will die on behalf of our kind. Our only wish is for you to forgive us…" Simba said calmly.

"But most of all…" added Kovu as he looked at the matriarch. "Forgive Taka…When I was on my way here…I had a dream. He came and visited me and asked for your forgiveness. That is all he wants…Please know that you…Banzai…Ed…The three of you are his dearest treasures…"

Shenzi's lowered her eyes so that no one could see her expression but now that the rain was finally letting up, her tears were much more visible. Her sniffs and sobs were now audible and they were all surprised to say in the least. A couple of the lions raised their heads and pretty much all the hyenas were no longer tense. A few from both sides were crying truthfully.

Shenzi said nothing as she turned away from the lions and slumped her way back to hyena territory. No words were spoken but Malka knew that their little 'feud' would have to wait for another day. The hyenas all slowly turned tail and followed their broken-down matriarch.

Sauda did the same but not before giving the pride one last look. She watched as Jelani carried a sleeping Jambo and placed him on her back. She said a quick goodbye before leaving with the rest of her family.

"Ah! The moon finally came out!" Kopa exclaimed as she looked up at the sky.

The rest of the lions raised their heads and saw that the dark clouds in the sky were opening and a ray of moonlight rained down on them. Kovu's head fell back down and he exhaled deeply. "It has been a long week trying to get here…" he sighed.

"So I see you couldn't handle the pride on your own, hm?" Kopa inquired smugly.

"Don't give me that! Like you could've resolved this without me, Pumbaa, or even Banzai" Kovu shot back.

"No fighting you two" Simba sighed. "But I must say, I'm curious, did Taka really visit you in a dream Kovu?"

Kovu nodded as he looked at his father-in-law. "He also wanted me to tell you that he's sorry for every little thing he did to cause you to suffer. He wants you to know that he knows that choosing death was stupid…But leaving his only family member behind was even worse for him."

"Strong words for a dead lion" Timon chuckled.

"I see that you still don't believe in that kind of stuff" droned Pumbaa.

Simba ignored the conversation between his foster parents and he looked up at sky. He noticed the stars twinkling as they realigned themselves. He knew they weren't actually moving but he knew that both his father _and_ Taka were watching over them.

The king smiled to himself for the first time in a while.

-X-

**Three days later…**

"We apologize for taking these lands from you. The matriarch wants you to have it back. She is sorry for the misunderstandings between us and hopes that everything will return to normal between us" Ed told the two kings. He received the promotion as the new negotiator; Banzai felt that speaking to other species was getting a bit old for him.

"So I suppose we will be moving back in by tomorrow?" asked Malka.

Ed nodded. "Also, we understand that your kingdom is in need of a shaman. Sauda, the daughter of the matriarch has offered herself as your new shaman. She hopes to help fix the relationship between our kind and yours."

"Well, I'm afraid things cannot go back to normal" said Malka. This surprised Ed and the few other hyenas there. "I have a message for your matriarch. Tell her…Her pack is part of our kingdom now. The hyenas will no longer be excluded from their rightful place in the kingdom."

Ed was staring at the king's smiling face to see if he was joking but he could see that he wasn't. Ed smiled back and nodded. "I will be sure to inform her of that. But I cannot promise you that she will accept, it may take some time."

"No worries, it's an open invitation" Malka chuckled before finally noticing that his fellow king had not said a word since the hyenas arrived. "Simba? Is something the matter? You seem to be staring off into space."

Simba glanced over at Malka before returning his awkward stare on Ed. "I'm sorry it's just…I'm still getting used to fact that you're using words instead of cackles to communicate…"

Ed's eyes showed signs of exhaustion as he shook his head. "Of course you are…"

-X-

"So my uncle and the rest of the colony have chosen to stay away from the kingdom now? And that's why the tunnels have been moved to the outskirts?" Tamina inquired Trisha to make sure she got it all right.

Trisha nodded to show that her future sister-in-law was correct. "It seems that they really want to keep their distance since the hyena matriarch may become part of the kingdom. I'm just glad that none of the other animals are against it."

"Well, the lions_ are_ going to be monitoring the hunting so that they don't overhunt like they tend to" Timon pointed out.

"That's right, one last thing before I forget. The other meerkats that 'betrayed' the chief are going to create their own colony here in the kingdom. And they were wondering if you would be their chief Tammy" Trisha grinned.

"What?" Tamina replied in surprise before shaking her head vigorously. "I can't do that, I'm needed back with Timon and the rest of the oasis colony. I'm happy there and I want to start my life with Timon there as well."

"I see…I expected that answer, I guess it can't be helped…"

"Why don't you just be chief?" Timon suggested.

"Well…I've already decided that I'm not going to stay here anymore…It's not filled with the best memories for me" Trisha replied with a reminiscent smile on her face. "I think I'll join a new colony so that I can restart my life."

"Why don't you come join us back home then? I know Ma would love to see you again."

Trisha shook her head to dismiss the suggestion although she looked as if she would've rather taken it. "I don't know…As much as I'd love to see old friends and family again, I think I'd rather not or at least…not yet. I'm thinking of going to the Southern Kingdom and meeting up with Manny. But I'll be sure to visit you and Ma as soon as I get the chance."

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own? Getting there won't be easy" Tamina said worriedly.

"I got from the eastern colony to the western colony safely…I think I'll manage, but thanks for your concern" Trisha smiled. "I'm going to miss you guys…" She gave the two of them a big hug. "I leave tonight…"

"We'll miss you…And we'll be sure to throw you a big bash when you come and visit" Timon chuckled.

"Thanks…I love you little brother…"

"I love you too…Big sis…"

-X-

"Zazu, there's something I need to tell you…" Zahina said shyly. "This may be a little too forward but I know that I have to tell you before you go back home…I may never get this chance again…"

"You can tell me anything Zahina" the other hornbill replied.

"…You might think of this as stupid or even insane but…I love you Zazu…I really do."

Zazu's eyes widened when he heard her say this. "Er, well…um…I wasn't exactly expecting this at all."

"I know it's a bit odd considering we're a little bit…Separated by age but…I don't know…" she muttered before continuing in at a higher volume. "I guess…Ever since I saw you again when I first arrived to the Pride Lands, you cared for me and watched over me…You've been on my mind all the time since then."

"I…I'm not quite sure how to respond…"

Zahina fought back the tears as she turned away from the older hornbill. "Yeah, I knew it was stupid to even bring up. J-Just forget about what I said and…I…Goodbye Zazu…" She was just about to take flight when he placed a feathered wing on hers.

"It's not stupid. I just never imagined that the young and beautiful hornbill I loved would've confessed to me first" Zazu chuckled. "I love you too Zahina and I want us to be together. Which was why I was thinking of staying here…with you…"

"Oh Zazu…" she sniffed happily before shaking her head furiously. "But I can't have you do that, Simba's pride needs a majordomo and you're the only who can fill that role at this current moment. But I have a sister, she can be this kingdom's majordomo, she's wanted to be the majordomo ever since she was born."

"So then…"

"I want to go back to the Pride Lands…With you as my mate…"

"…I happily accept…"

-X-

"So you and your mother are getting on better terms now?" Jelani inquired curiously as he and Sauda watched Jambo chase after a butterfly.

"She's determined to strengthen our bond which is why she didn't come to this negotiations thing herself" Sauda smiled although it was a little uneasy. "I asked my father about it and he said it might've been his fault for her desire to get closer to me. I don't know what he said to her but I do hope she gets tired of doing the things we loved when we were younger…"

"Well, at least she's trying…"

"And I appreciate it…" she covered up a small giggled. She smiled as she felt the cool breeze flow fast her. The wet season has never been so nice before. "But she's trying new things too like stargazing. She says she doesn't get it but it's definitely relaxing. It's fin really, being able to talk to her normally."

The two adult animals remained silent for a while before Jelani came with a new thought. "Hey, do you remember what you said about us meeting our new loves one day?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've been thinking a lot about my future…And I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to move on from my mate…"

Sauda looked confused since she had no idea why her friend had even brought it up in the first place. "Why not?"

"…I know Tala's alive and I know she's out there somewhere. Maybe I'm just hanging on to a delusion but I met a lioness that looked, spoke, and even acted the same as she did. Even her name is the similar. The only difference is that she's a two whole years younger than my mate. And now…I don't want to fall for a lioness just because she's the same as someone I loved before…" Jelani spilled out.

"I don't know how to respond to something like that but I do know is that you need to be patient. Maybe not all things work themselves out but this is one thing that only time can help you resolve. I just hope you're happy with whatever decision you make."

"Thanks…So do I…"

-X-

"Simba, there you are, there's something I need to tell you" said Kovu as he entered the king's den.

"Can it wait a bit? I've been looking everywhere for Kopa but I can't seem to find him anywhere" muttered Simba.

"That's, uh, sort of what I came here to talk about. I told Kopa that his son was born a couple days back and he shot off towards home. I'm guessing he wanted to see his son and he couldn't wait any longer" Kovu chuckled.

"I've never been in such a situation but I think I can relate a little" Simba smiled.

At that moment, Kula rushed into the den with a partly excited, partly concerned expression on her face. "King Simba, there is some news I bring you and I do hope that you are fine with what I am about to say" she started.

"Kula? You seem…different" Kovu remarked with a raised brow. "Last I checked, every time you saw me, you insulted me in some way shape or form to get on my nerves."

"It's been a long few weeks…Anyway, King Simba, um…There's something I need to tell you…"

"You want to stay here in the Western Kingdom because you think that this pride has something to offer you that my pride cannot. And you were wondering if I was okay with such a thing" Simba said without having to hear Kula say a thing.

"Well…That sort of makes it sound like I'm selfish and insulting my home."

"Well if I put it into other words, you'd just deny it."

"Wait, what does that mean?!"

"That you love someone in Malka's pride."

Kula stood silent for a while and stared at Simba before coughing and then shaking her head as if she hadn't heard him. "There's one more thing I have to tell you though…Tama wants to stay here with me so I was wondering…If you could let us live here from now on…"

Simba smiled since he expected this to happen. "I don't want to be in the way of my pride-mates' happiness, the two of you can stay here with my blessing. I hope the two of you will find everything you desire here."

"Thank you Simba, I will never forget you for this and please apologize to Kopa for my previous behavior for me."

"I'd be happy to."

-X-

**Eight days later…**

"Sierra's…dead?" breathed Simba when Nala gave him the news.

The queen nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so…We didn't want to start the passing ceremony until all of you returned but…It had been a little bit over two weeks, we didn't have much of a choice unless we wanted scavengers to eat away with her."

"I understand…"

"But, where are Tama and Kula, I know they went along with you guys to the Malka's kingdom. Don't tell me they…"

Simba shook his head to dismiss the thought. "They chose to stay with Malka and his pride. And now Zahina's going to be staying with us as Zazu's mate and I'm pretty sure they're going to be distracted with each other for quite some time. So for the time being, we will be without a majordomo for a while."

"Well I'm glad that things went so well on your end but Kiara and I have something to tell you and Kovu" Nala said as her daughter left the den to join them. ""Kopa was already informed of it when he returned…"

Kovu wondered what this could be about. "What is it? Nothing seriously bad happened while I-I mean, we were gone right? Is Kito all right?"

"Kito is just fine…But on the same day Sierra died, a rogue entered the Pride Lands" Kiara started. "I knew this rogue because I had seen him and another on the day I brought Rafiki to Pride Rock. I didn't know if they were hostile but the rogue that came to us on the day of Sierra's death told us to leave the Pride Lands. That something was going to happen and it would horrible…"

The king and prince looked at each as they tried to absorb this sudden information. "But why didn't you tell me of this before? If I had known, I would've looked into it…Where's that rogue now?"

"I knew you were stressed already, I didn't want to add on to that…" Kiara sighed.

Nala shook her head sadly. "And the rogue died right after he had told us the news but it looked as if he had more to say. I don't know what's been going on lately but it seems that everything is connected somehow."

"We'll just have to be a little more cautious when we go about things" Simba finally said after some thought. "For now, we just need to relax, everything will be just fine. We've been through a lot together, what's a little more going to do?"

-X-

Pumbaa inhaled deeply and the exhaled the same way as he approached Rafiki's tree. The warthog knew that he had so many questions for the shaman and so many answers for his questions. But there was one thing he had to do first.

"Rafiki?" Pumbaa inquired.

"Enter my pupil" Rafiki chuckled from where he was examining his paintings. "I trust everything went well back in the Western Kingdom?"

"Um…Yeah, and I decided…I've accepted the fact that I am the Shaman of Love and will take on your role after you pass" Pumbaa said as he took a seat next to his master. "And…there's a confession I've got to make…"

"What is it?"

"I…I told Kovu and Kiara about the prophecy, I'm sorry…"

"I know…"

"…What…?"

Rafiki laughed a little maniacally and patted Pumbaa on the back. He grabbed onto a branch above his head and swung up to it. "I knew you would tell them, you are the Shaman of Love. And your emotions steer you in the right direction. I cannot tell you what is wrong or right, only your heart can."

"So you just made me feel guilty all this time even though you knew I'd tell anyway?"

"That is correct and I am sorry. But what do you expect? I am old!" Rafiki cackled to himself and Pumbaa awkwardly joined him. "So, is there anything you wanted to tell me or was that all?"

"Ah…Well, there is this one other thing…" Pumbaa sighed. He took in another deep breath when Rafiki looked at his pupil with fixed concentration. "I had a dream while I was away and it sort of took me to the past when the first Pride War began. It showed me…a lot…"

Rafiki rugged his chin in deep thought. "I suppose they were showing you Rogue, the lion that had started the war. He and Hasani seem very alike although I must say, the former seems much more insane…"

"Well, yes, but it was also telling me to accept myself for who I am" added Pumbaa before reluctantly adding "And…The dreams ended with Rogue attacking the Pride Lands and then leaving. I don't know what happened after and I'm kind of curious…"

Rafiki sighed and leaned back against his tree which he would've restricted himself from doing if it wasn't for all the excess stress. "Well…After Rogue had left, the Eastern Kingdom became involved with the fighting. They joined sides with the Southern Kingdom, as expected, but the Northern and Western Kingdom didn't believe in the story of a fellow lion starting the war. Therefore, the war was mainly between Northwest and Southeast..."

Rafiki paused as he thought back to what his master had told him about the first Pride War. "Along the way, Mohatu and Jolina discovered that their parents had arranged a marriage between the two of them because they knew each other when they were young. The war ended when Mohatu tricked Rogue into admitting what he had done and then the king of the Northern Kingdom killed him. After that, treaties were made and the war was over and Mohatu and Jolina had forgiven their parents…There really isn't anything interesting to this story…"

"…Well…Yeah, but there's something's that's been bothering me lately…"

"Hm?"

"It's just…Well…Hondari and Mohatu are related to each other…And I remember you saying that Sarafina was Hondari's daughter. That would mean that Taka and Sarafina are related as well but they loved each other at one point…" Pumbaa was going to continue but he got too embarrassed to go any further.

"I can see why you would ask such a question…" Rafiki sighed. "What do you think?"

"Well, I have two theories" started Pumbaa. "First is that Sarafina is adopted. The second is that Uru was the one that was adopted."

"Is adoption the only possibility?"

"Huh?"

"Think…Uru was known to be unique in Mohatu's family because of her unusually dark fur color. Was there any male lions in your dream that had such a dark color and had certain feelings for Jolina?"

Pumbaa thought long and hard before the mind-numbing realization hit him. "Don't tell me that…"

Rafiki gave him a solemn nod. "Uru is related to Jolina but not to Mohatu and Hondari. She is the daughter of Queen Jolina and the greatest war criminal of all time, Rogue…"

-X-

The mourning of Sierra's death took at least three days. Not many of the lions were ready to accept the fact that she was gone. But many were able to at least show a smile for Timon and Tamina's marriage, Zazu and Zahina's marriage, and the joining of pack and pride in the Western Kingdom.

So much happened in the course of a few weeks that it was shocking. But they all hoped things would get better from then on.

It was about a week after Sierra's passing ceremony when the blue bird arrived with a message for King Simba and Queen Nala. The avian bowed down in respect before giving them the message.

"Rulers of the Eastern Kingdom, you have been invited to the coronation of the new king of the Southern Kingdom along with the kings and queens of the other great kingdoms" he recited.

"If I memory serves correct, I don't believe the late king had an heir...Does this mean the council of the Southern Kingdom has chosen someone to take the throne?" Simba asked.

The majordomo nodded in response. "Yes, and the new king wanted to come here himself to invite the two of you personally. He says that he knows you and he knows that the two of you need an explanation for why he hadn't returned a long time ago. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what he means by that."

Simba could feel the rest of the pride's eyes on them as he exchanged a glance with his mate. It was clear to each of them that the other had no idea what that could mean either. It was all confusing but at least they knew it wouldn't lead to something dangerous.

"Who…What is the name of your new king?" asked Nala.

"Ah yes, I guess you would wonder about that…His name…" chuckled the blue bird. "King Mheetu."

-X-

**Ah, it's finally finished! And yes, this is Mheetu, the younger brother of Nala. Hope you all enjoyed Story of the Stars, I don't have the release date for Book of Black Pride but with my private life being a tangled loop, I doubt it'll be soon. Bear with me.**

**Oh yeah, I recently watched this video that made me realize that my childhood is just racing away. So I wanted to ask people this question, what are your top 5 Disney animated movies? Pixar does not count. I'm asking this because I feel that Disney movies have always been my childhood and maybe hearing others' opinions will make feel happier too.**

**As a basis, here are mine from least fave to most fave: Pocahontas, Lady and the Tramp, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Lion King (Obviously)**

**Don't forget to give me feedback about the epilogue as well and stay tuned for a preview of Book of Black Pride. (This has been the longest thing I've ever written)**


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